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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010
Rollkur: "Absolutely Not Acceptable"
I was thrilled to hear the news yesterday – that the FEI has officially (and unanimously) ruled that rollkur is to be outlawed from the warm-up rings at international competitions.
Rollkur does not have a standard definition, but is essentially extreme overbending with the head far behind the vertical, ![[Horse running]](http://www.supernaturalhorses.com/Images/wildhearts/rollkur.jpg)
sometimes to the point that the horse’s muzzle touches its chest. Rollkur is used by some as a training technique, now predominantly known in dressage, but also seen in the warm-up ring at show jumping and eventing competitions. The Classical Riding Club has some great information on what rollkur is and its effects on horses.
(Please note that the photo above does not illustrate rollkur, but rather a horse at liberty with his head just above the verticle as he uses himself naturally.)
There has been a great debate going on in several areas of the horse industry about rollkur. The subject has heated up and gained a lot of publicity since October 2009, when a Swedish rider at an FEI competition in Denmark was alleged to have used rollkur for a period of two hours – and to the point that the horse’s tongue appeared to go blue. The an article, including the footage, was released by EPONA.tv. The rider was not disciplined by the FEI.
Several major groups have spoken out against rollkur, including The British Horse Society and The Classical Riding Club. The British Horse Society released a fantastic statement about where they stand on the subject.
The round-table conference of twenty-three FEI directors and representatives from numerous equine disciplines met yesterday to discuss the use of rollkur.
"The first conclusion, which was agreed by everyone, was that all aggressive riding is not acceptable," said Trond Asmyr, FEI Director Dressage & Para-Equestrian Dressage, yesterday following the meeting. "Hyperflexion and rollkur is the same – it’s a position of the head which is obtained by aggressive riding, and this is absolutely not acceptable."
A committee has been formed to implement the policy, which may include using closed-circuit cameras in the warm-up rings.
The participants of the FEI discussion also agreed that the technique known as Low, Deep & Round (LDR) achieves flexion of the horse’s neck without the use of aggressive force, and is therefore acceptable.
I am sending out a huge thank you to all those who actively helped achieve this decision, including the incredible 41,000 people who signed the petition against rollkur that was presented at the FEI discussion. And now – here’s to hoping that this ruling makes a big difference to our sport horses.
POSTED BY CELENA AT 1:33 PM POST A COMMENT
CATEGORY: ROLLKUR/HYPERFLEXION
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4 COMMENTS:
SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2010 AT 7:54 PM
sambnra says...
Thank Goodness!!
SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2010 AT 10:43 PM
Celena says...
No kidding - it's been a long time coming! But isn't it great that people are finally become aware of this kind of mistreatment and taking a stand against it?
TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2010 AT 5:35 AM
Anonymous says...
Umm... haven't they just renamed rollkur "low, deep, and round?" It's still as prevalent and as endorsed by the FEI as ever, just renamed.
FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2010 AT 8:57 AM
Celena says...
There is certainly debate on rollkur versus low, deep and round (LDR). The FEI maintains that the difference is that rollkur is established using forceful, aggressive riding while correctly riding LDR allows horses to stretch down and is much easier on the horses.
Of course, there are people who will ride rollkur and call it LDR, or who will straddle the line between the two. The situation is definitely not perfect.
I'm happy that international attention has been brought to this issue and that more people are becoming aware of the detriments that hyperflexion has on horses. I believe that people will continue to become more educated about this and that the horses will benefit.