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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, 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      4 COMMENTS     POST A COMMENT
CATEGORY: ROLLKUR/HYPERFLEXION