Not in North America. Horsepeople will use near and off side for everything, including their car (and then have to restate using driver’s/passenger side when talking to their mechanic) but most people wouldn’t have a clue what was meant.
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Here’s a new one…got a message from the BO yesterday saying the horses should be “turned in” early because of the weather. On first reading I got ‘turned out’ and that made no sense. So actually read what was written…who the heck turns in? Turn out, bring in!
Wow. I hear it still all the time. Left and Right as well, but some of my friends are far more reliable with near and off than with left and right. 
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Very common in polo. Beginner 101 uses nearside and offside to describe which side of the horse one is hitting the ball.
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Hang on, you drive a left hand drive vehicle on the left side of the road? (I think you’re in Aus or NZ ?)
In North America our driver’s side is the near (left) side and we drive on the right side of the road. Right hand drive vehicles are rare here.
This is so true. I sort of laughed the other day when one of the world’s most renowned vets mentioned “ankles” to me in reference to an X-ray. Ten-year-old me would have been like, “sir, do you mean the pastern or the fetlock?”
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