A friend posted the link for a photo gallery supported by St. Georg magazine’s website which shows many unsightly images. I was unable to find it just perusing through their site, but that mostly just means I gave up looking after I had to translate every page just to navigate it. If someone at St. Georg reads this, let me say that it would be spectacular if your webmaster instituted even a rough method of translation right on the site. Although Google probably loves my regular visits to their translation services… [ Note : For what it may be worth, if you want to translate my blog there is a box at the footer of every page - just select your language from the drop down box and it will automatically do the footwork for you. ]

St. Georg 2010 WEG Photo Gallery

What blows my mind about one image in particular in that gallery is the horse whose face is practically parallel with the ground… and yet there is more.

Meandering about the web and all of the promotional videos I’ve managed to find one of Isabell Werth riding Warum Nicht in the warm up arena. The introductory horse whinny on the video sounds more like a cry for help than of a “happy” dressage partner. In the video you see Isabell pulling and tugging on the reins as she rides around with her horse in various degrees of hyperflexion, looking the part of anything but harmonious. His gaits are stilted and remind me of western pleasure horses’ gaits that have been retarded and made unnatural for the show ring. His canter seems more like an amble than a leaping three beat gait.

Video of Isabell Werth riding Warum Nicht in warm up arena at 2010 WEG in Kentucky

But she is not the only one…

Video of Hiroshi Koretsu riding Whisper in warm up arena at 2010 WEG in Kentucky

And then there is this interesting ride by Anabel Balkenhol aboard Diablino. I say that it is interesting because of all of the Grand Prix competitors I’ve watched in the last few years, she is one of the few whose horse you can actually see his abdominals contracting to bring the hind legs under more through most of the ride. He doesn’t really flex a great deal through the hind limbs but I would say he is closer to collecting than most I’ve watched. She seems to have to be very loud in the reins as you can see her tugging on them rather hard at times, but he is not often behind the vertical and when he is it is not from the rider’s wishes it would seem. For the most part he is up and open and one of the more enjoyable horses to watch.

Video of Anabel Balkenhol warming up on Diablino at the 2010 WEG in Kentucky

Also of note is the rider Adelinde Cornelissen who was set to compete aboard the stallion Parzival. Adelinde is a student of Anky van Grunsven and was disqualified from the competition when her horse was found bleeding from the mouth during her ride. Reports from her crew attribute the blood to Parzival having bit his own tongue. Images from the gallery link above show several examples of Cornelissen riding in hyperflexion and also being coached by Sjef Janssen.

I’m not surprised but I guess hopeful that perhaps all of the bad publicity surrounding Patrik Kittel and the Blue Tongue incident, the lawsuit filed by Anky van Grunsven and so on would make these riders a little less out in the open about using such methods in public competitions. Obviously they care not one lick if the great horse community feels they are abusing their horses for the sake of competition. What are your thoughts? Were you expecting to see this at the World Equestrian Games?

What is Rollkur?

Let’s take a bit deeper look into this.

#1 — PUBLIC OUTCRY

“Because equestrians are protesting hyperflexion through means which do not motivate abusers to change – i.e. silent protests at competitions, speaking out through niche internet, signing of petitions, etc.”

Hyperflexion is in some way connected to the abuses given to African American slaves, women prior to the feminist movement, many lab animals. Certainly it is not a human suffering, but it is a living being on this plant none-the-less and in the same way the horse is suffering for the sake of money and power. It took the violent sweep of the anti-slavery movement to see African Americans move out of the ‘public opinion’ of being less than and even animalistic and to appreciate the same rights and humanities of other Americans. Women were seen as weak and in need of men’s guidance and care, even if at times violent and sadistic. The feminist movement and women’s sufferage was not a gentle journey won by quiet voices. Many companies will not seek to right things which are dangerous to their customers until threat of public media involvement is made in a widespread manner.

Making hyperflexion an outcry to the PUBLIC – not just the equestrian community – may help raise the hairs on the neck of those who use it and support it including sponsors who fund it’s continued use. Many equestrians are still in the dark even about what hyperflexion is, why it is bad for the horse and what can be done to stop it.

Many have a notion that keeping the resolution of hyperflexion somewhat out of the public eye will help keep PETA and other animal rights activists from gaining a foothold towards removing all rights of equestrians in the use of horses. Is the fear of losing your own right greater than the present knowledge the the horse has lost his?! I can think of no more selfish thought than this. Secondarily, if this argument is to be made I can think of no better supportive argument than to take the side of PETA, etc because it is obvious that the selfishness of the equestrian community has grown to such an extent that it can no longer be entrusted to put the horse’s needs and welfare above it’s own interests be they emotionally or commercially driven.

#2 — MONEY

“Hyperflexion is money motivated and those who are making the most money are using the technique.”

You’ve heard of the golden rule before? Those with the most gold make the rules? Words to live by in this society, unfortunately. Take away the money and the well will dry up and move on to greener pastures. Just as energy efficient means will not lead the globe until they can make more money than traditional fossil fuels, top equestrians will not stop using hyperflexion until it proves to no longer be profitable.

#3 — CULT SUPPORT

“Riders who are impressed by abusers are willing to move in packs and use loud voices in support of hyperflexion and the ‘success’ it brings.”

Beware the person with too much confidence, fanfare and a loud voice – for they are surely the most foolish. If this isn’t a quote perhaps it should be. When I was a younger rider I always thought I knew exactly what was right and what was wrong, the best methods and what should be avoided. I had all the answers and if I didn’t it was because they didn’t exist. I’ve grown up a bit and in the years between then and now the greatest thing I have learned is that the quietest voice is often the most informed, or at the very least the one who is observing the most. Perhaps they are just asleep in class. Whatever the case may be… I tend to avoid people who always know the answers when it comes to horses.

That being said, I have also observed that equestrians who do well in competition often use shortcuts – both intentionally and unintentionally. And that competitors who are doing well often have a following of not as advanced of competitor equestrians or hopeful competitors. And those followers *love* the person they are following – of course if they didn’t why would they be following them? So in order to be correct in following this person they will defend them tooth and nail to the death in support of every action and intention of said followed equestrian competitor. They are unafraid to voice their opinion loudly because what they have to lose is their own belief that the person they are learning from and likely hold in very high esteem is flawless and perfect. And if they happen to lose this belief their whole world could be in a tailspin. Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy I have to wonder? Often people prefer to be right in just such a case…

As a result, louder voices are heard above quieter voices.

#4 — FEI ENDORSES THE ABUSE

“The FEI endorses hyperflexion.”

As if hyperflexion needed a booster seat, the FEI – the international governing body of olympic sports – steps up to the plate and gives it the green light and a get out of jail free card. What ‘professional’ can be made liable for abusing a horse when they are only using a method that their sporting association, which just so happens to hold as president the Princess of Jordan, says can do no harm if used by said professional? Exactly.

Of course this shouldn’t come as a surprise when they are also renegotiating ideas which would allow fewer restrictions on the doping and drugging of horses in competition. There is a reason that rules are in place to limit things that dull the horse’s ability to voice it is in pain or breaking down – because he cannot do it with words and is at the mercy of those gaining profit through exploitation. Yep, I said it – exploitation.

#5 – VETERINARIANS ENDORSE THE ABUSE

“Veterinarians publicly support the use/abuse of hyperflexion.”

How do you bring a strong man down? Cut him off at the knees and strap lead to his back. As if the above reasons were not enough weight to tow behind the half-dead pick up truck, lead veterinarians have publicly stated that hyperflexion is not physically harmful to the horse. Those bulges we see at the 3rd cervical vertebrae are now “normal” side effects of competition horse training. The unusual muscle development of the neck is standard.

It has been my personal experience that veterinarians are human, which means that not only are the subject to making mistakes and lacking knowledge in their so called area of ‘expertise’… they are also easily intimidated and or convinced to support a cause if they are in the right social circles. I tend to be a bit suspicious of allopathic medical ‘professionals’ be they human doctors or animal, and the supporting documents for hyperflexion only adds fuel to my fire.

#6 — EXTRAVAGANT MOVEMENT

“Hyperflexion creates more exciting movement from the horse to please an uneducated crowd, making hyperflexion a tool to market a sport once seen as boring drivel to those uninitiated.”

Think of hyperflexion what soring is to Tennessee Walking horse big lick shows. It is what creates the flash and boom and draws the crowds of uninformed and potentially horse-illiterate spectators. The TWH Celebration annually draws thousands, when is that last time you saw a national dressage show perform in the same way?  In the following video take a look at the sheer crowd in the stands at the 2007 NYPD Walking Horse Celebration.

I remember the first dressage shows I attended, they really were boring. Why? I liken it to watching someone meditate, or that is what it should be like – two beings meditating together to form a partnership of invisible communication. Now that meditation has to be marketable it is being spiced up. A bit like turning tai chi into MMA death matches.

#7 — MAKES WINNERS IN THE SPORT

“Hyperflexion creates Olympic gold medalists and ‘partnerships’ who score the highest test % ever awarded.”

Anky van Grunsven was the top rider for many years. She has only allowed this title to slip a bit by making room for others who now use hyperflexion as well. The last Olympic games I watched in China made me want to throw up as horses who were not forward, on the forehand, behind the bit, crooked, constant tail swishing, etc were the norm and being praised and glorified by thousands of adoring fans. I had to turn off my tv, go outside and praise be to my horses that I have not bought into such disgust. Mostly my horses just snorted and munched at grass.

Recently Edward Gal riding Moorlands Totilas scored a 92.30% in London. This is the highest score ever recorded for a competition, let alone of the caliber – a World Cup Qualifier. The horse’s movement is reminiscent of Anky van Grunsven’s Salinero if you ask me, complete with the horse behind the bit at the halt, tail swishing, leg mover, etc etc etc. The list goes on.

#8 — SHORTENS TRAINING TIME

“Hyperflexion creates an Internationally competitive Grand Prix horse in 3-4 years.”

Andreas Helgestrand rode to victory in 2006 on Blue Horse Matine – a 9 year old mare.

Of course Blue Hors Matine also died unexpectedly by breaking her leg when she was 13 years old, one last injury in a long line of them that began just after this competition.

#9 — BEHIND THE VERTICAL IS NORMAL / COMMON

“Horses behind the vertical and overbent about in pictures, video and in person in all corners of the world, making Hyperflexion “just a little bit more” of the same…”

Pretty self-explanatory. Do a google search for something rather inert in connection to horses and you will find a plethora of images showing riders with horses whose noses are behind the vertical. Behind the vertical is behind the vertical, period. End of sentence and argument. I’ve heard it all before and people will likely continue to argue the point that ‘it was only one moment captured in time’ or that their horse is always like that, etc. Horses ridden forward as they ought to be are not behind the vertical with their nose. If the horse is behind the vertical, he is NOT forward – maybe fast, but not forward. One moment captured in time 10+ times over is not ‘one moment captured in time’.

#10 — EXCUSES

“Hyperflexion abusers will continue to claim proof to be attributed to a “one time event” and not part of the normal routine or used for long periods of time.”

Can anyone else hear in this statement “WIFE BEATER“? See above – if it has happened more than once it is not a one time event. If it has been captured for more than a split moment, it is more than a split moment. Fairly black and white. Abusers often argue this point, of it was a one time thing, it isn’t as bad as it looks, it doesn’t last as long as it seems, blah blah blah. They are excuses, manipulative excuses. Why? Because if they can get away with it they will, they have not changed and likely will not change. Why are abusers and users of hyperflexion allowed to continue telling us what limits should be allowed in regards to abuse? Seems a bit like an alcoholic saying what the legal blood-alcohol limit should be for drunk driving.

#11 (BONUS) — CROSS-DISCIPLINE

“Hyperflexion is cross-discipline and has infiltrated horsemanship for longer than most would likely want to admit, even the Classical Dressage groupies (of which I cannot be completely excluded from).”

You can find it in jumpers, hunters, western riders, english riders, saddleseat, hunt, etc. While it is more prevalent in some disciplines over others the truth of the matter is that the majority of equestrians believe that control of the horse is gained largely by manipulating the neck. Yes, control can be had in this way but it is also mistakenly referred to as building a relationship, communication, a partnership, etc. Plain and simple it is a physical way to control the horse and avoiding communication and removing choice from the horse’s options.

Classical Dressage is often pitched as a ‘faultless’ practice and following that deviates from the intentions of competitive Dressage. This is like saying that because you call yourself a Christian you love your neighbor, honor your mother and father, and never sin or think impure thoughts. A name does not prove and action.

I wouldn’t call myself a groupie, per se, I enjoy the thoughts behind Classical Dressage while also acknowledging the fact that CD Masters or ODGs (Old Dead Guys for short) were human as well and because they are dead we cannot see with our own eyes as to the purity of their actions or truth behind their words. The internet should prove well enough that written words will never equate to spoken words just as pictures will never do justice to watching the same in person. There have been hints that Francoise de la Gueriniere may have used hyperflexion, largely in part of the images in some of his books. The Duke of Newcastle may have been suspect. Francoise Baucher has been touted as using hyperflexion heavily and is the one that Sjef Janssen ‘blames’ for imparting and inspiring the use of it with Anky van Grunsven. Reiner Klimke has been accused by a few small voices in the background. The Spanish Riding School has also been implicated among other national schools. No one is safe from the accusations. The truth of the matter is that whether Masters or ODGs used hyperflexion is irrelevant. As mentioned above, it only matters if a follower of one method or man over another wishes to be right rather than to be happy.

There is still hope in the world — you just have to look more closely for it.

From my perception, it seems that the general view is if ‘it’ (whatever that may be) can be accomplished, then it is good. I can’t agree with this. Admittedly there are many things I ask my horses to do that probably seem crazy to them, but the point is that I *ask* – how many are not so much asked as *made* to perform in a certain way? No matter the driving force behind it, however, I see this trait show up in our treatment of animals in general. How many cats are forced to endure our attention while they display obvious annoyance, anger, fear? All the while we offer a dismissive excuse towards our actions, rather than taking ownership of the fact that we have stopped listening altogether in what should be a conversation, have chosen to be selfish and attend only to our own desires and create a monologue-led-dictatorship.

Balloon Horses Credit : Andrea Galvani

I laughed when I found these pictures, for several reasons. The first was because of their stark, lonely, enigmatic quality. That they are perfectly balanced – a black horse, a white horse, each opposing the other – and effortlessly maintaining the quality of ‘balloon animal.’

We use our horses for all sorts of displays and strokes to our ego – it is an essential component in the horse industry. Franchising the horse, the exploitive qualities of an animal that we are so naturally drawn to. They make us laugh, they make us cry, and even land us on our butt from time to time.

Horses have changed drastically and not at all in a very short period of time. They have always been exploited, but for different purposes. We used to use them to aid in the toil and trouble of farming and travel. They fought wars with us and helped us to explore new continents and meet new people.

Today, however, the brunt of horsemanship is surrounding entertainment purposes. We race our horses to win money and have a day at the track. We show and compete horses – again for money, but also to prop up businesses, prove that ours is better than theirs, that we are a better rider/trainer/competitor than everyone else, to prove that we know more than someone else.

I remember distinctly the thoughts that crossed my mind when I first saw pictures of a lion and tiger riding a horse in one of China’s zoos. There was no shock or surprise, perhaps some curiosity about how they went about it, but to me I see nothing different (other than cultural conditioning) from a lion riding a horse and man. We are both predatory creatures – equally as deadly in the horse’s mind, and if people can tame horses why would there be any reason a lion couldn’t also become a ‘normal’ companion for the horse as well? Maybe the outrage over the lion and tiger images is because the zoo is using it to entertain people, to draw a crowd, to make money. But we do the same thing every day when we use our horses for marketing purposes. I even do it myself, knowingly and frequently with much discontent…

Do the two horses above look terribly different in attitute from one another? We cannot see the sorrel horse’s ears, but their posture is similar, tails both trailing behind them. The first horse gets the unfortunate challenge of trotting on cement and bearing a brunt much greater in weight than the second horse. Maybe he just prefers to be ridden by the tiger, where he appears nearly relaxed, and no worse (probably even better I would say) than the emotional rollercoasters I see at most horse shows.

This post was inspired in lieu of the new blog layout and the addition of some causes I support which are linked at the bottom of every post. I was browsing through the Horse Conscious website again when I was making a button for the site and began thinking about many of the teachers promoted through them. Of the work done by Alexander Nevzorov and what I have heard and discussed with some of his followers. Of my own observations and experiences. Of all the times I’ve unwittingly and unconsciously used my horses for my own gain (whether it was monetary or egoic, or both), and in particular all the times I’ve heard clinicians and trainers say one thing, do another and then say something to confirm that they weren’t in fact doing what they were doing. But, mostly, because no matter what it turns to shades of grey in the end – some exploit the horse more than others but no matter the amount the action still exists.

And for that, the horse is still there willing to perform (albeit often ridiculous, dangerous or pointless acts) for us. Maybe that is why we are so drawn to the horse, because no matter how many mistakes we make, how much we hurt him or exploit him, trade bits and pieces of his being for our own gain, or interact selfishly – they always act in a way that seems like unconditional love. They might put up a fight in the interim, but when we open our eyes and change the horse is right there by our side ready.

I work a lot in metaphors, it helps my mind connect ideas and make sense of theories that may otherwise leave me in the dark. So, this is how I’m going to compare collection in the sense of competitive dressage… a bit like a weight lifter bench pressing weights that are inflated with air. Sure, it might look like he is lifting 300 pounds and his muscles are certainly flexed, he has some sweat upon his brow… but there is something missing and that is the reality of the weight, the action, the exercise. It looks like a bench press and acts like a bench press, but is he really lifting any weight? No.

What we see in the competitive arena are collected movements that look like collection, act like collection, are called collection and scored as though they are collection, but there is that vital thing missing – the reality of collection.

Let’s think a bit about the individual movements that are a result of collection : Piaffe, Passage, Canter Pirouette, Flying Changes, Collected Canter, Collected Walk, Extended Trot. Collection unfortunately is often mistaken as being synonymous with slow or short. We see many variations on these different movements and instead of writing a giant article, I think instead I will pull a collection of pictures together and make comments. I like the way my brain functions with visual interaction…

The Piaffe

Let’s start with something easy. Why do I say easy? Well because there are many more pictures of piaffe that I can track down than there are collected walk.

Ever notice that there is a large prevalence of stallions in the competitive arena of dressage who succeed vs geldings and mares at the international levels. Certainly, it is beneficial to promote breeding stallions, but it occurred to me a question of whether it has anything to do with the strength of their neck muscles, in particular those which help to lift the shoulder girdle. Testosterone does lead to more muscle mass and development, and stallions naturally have a greater development of their topline. It can certainly help mask one of the indicators of collection, and that is the ‘little dipper’ in front of the withers. Many stallions are without it thanks to mother nature. So how does this play a role in collection you ask?

The neck muscles assist in lifting the cervical vertebrae as well as the shoulder girdle. Changing this alignment assists the hindquarters in bearing weight and flexing of the joints… all important elements of collection. In many ways, the efforts of asking the horse to collect are a way of improving the horse’s posture. Just like humans, we don’t always have naturally good posture, and when we then lift things and become weight bearing we can damage our muscles, our joints, our bones, etc. Things wear and tear that aren’t supposed to. What happens when you pick up something with bad posture? Do you find that you are nimble, agile and able to move easily about with this new weight, or do you tend to feel the weight pressing down upon you, having difficulty moving up and down stairs with this weight, maneuvering tight areas and so on? Then try lifting an object and carrying it with good posture so you are in balance, that is exactly the purpose of collection, and the movements listed above that come about are only signs and signals of that achieved balance while bearing weight.

Okay, I’m getting a bit off direction, but that is okay. I wanted to touch on the matter of hock injections in dressage horses who have not yet hit the age of 10. Sound like they are wearing their joints improperly? Absolutely! That is a sign of weight bearing that is not in balance, and is not in collection! It is one thing in a sport of impact such as jumping and eventing, but riding your pony about a 20 x 60 meter, imo, should not warrant hock injections at an early age. Back on track…

Let’s see some pictures.

Now, before you go scrolling down and getting adventuresome on me… let’s talk about the first picture. Yes, I will be blacking out faces because I would hope someone would do the same for me and this isn’t some personal vendetta against competitive riding, my only goal is to pull attention to what to look for in clues whether your horse is giving you collection.

I want you to look the picture over, maybe even write down what you like and what you don’t like. Let’s do this with 5 things each, 5 likes and 5 dislikes. We’ll compare notes later. Often piaffe is considered correct when the horse brings the hind feet underneath the body, i.e. underneath the point of hip, when the diagonal legs are moving in unison, and the horse’s head is on the vertical. Now we’ve already covered some points referring to posture, but I want to reiterate. In particular with the position of the horse’s head. Not all horses are posturally capable of bringing their nose on the vertical and still maintaining the posture needed to be balanced in collection. Often what happens is that the horse compensates in his body somewhere for the position of the head that he is otherwise not physically capable of maintaining.

Humans do this sort of postural compensation all the time. It is prevalent among our species and you can see it in person just walking down the street on any given day… that is if you know what you are looking for. If you don’t, people just look like people, normal everyday people. In this case it is usually only those who overstep the boundaries by a large margin that we notice – someone hunched over with a humpback posture, or someone with such an extreme swayback that it obviously affects their walking pattern. The person who’s neck juts forwards, or the man who doesn’t seem to have any bend in his neck at all.

For the most part, we all have postural problems, and unfortunately it is considered a norm. The things that cause chronic but not completely debilitating low back pain, the migraine headaches that we put up with or try to sooth with medication and dark rooms. The list goes on. With the horse we invent new gadgets to deal with the postural problems, we use more force and leverage to ‘stretch’ and ‘flex’ him into “suppleness.” Then there are the new methods of training that are ‘based upon classical principles’ and only prove to further injure the horse on a whole new level.

Let’s see how this horse might be compensating for posture that isn’t bringing him into balance.

I hope you like the marks I made, it will help guide your sight to the what and where’s that I talk about. Firstly, what I mentioned earlier about the development of the neck muscles and the tell-tale dip in front of the withers. That is marked with a red circle and labelled with a 1. It isn’t the best quality picture, but it is fairly clear to see.

Next we will move on to spot 2, the second red circle. This is referencing the closure of the horse’s throatlatch. Again, not all horses are capable of maintaining an ‘on the vertical’ nose position without having to compensate somewhere in their body. Line 3 references this as well, showing the nose on the vertical. Line 4 references the poll being the highest part of the horse’s body. His is close, but no cigar, the crest of his neck beat him to it by a few hairs. Why is the poll being high an important indicator? With the exception of some stallions (particularly Spanish bred) whose necks are so cresty they would not in a million years make the mark, it shows that the horse is not compensating in the cervical vertebrae. When the horse is overbent, or made to come to the vertical without the right build for it, his cervical vertebrae will help compensate and as a result the posterior portion of the neck (the top of the neck) will protrude higher than the poll. Think of a piece of paper, held so you are looking at the flattest/thinnest portion, held between your thumb and forefinger on either end. When you hold the paper taught so that it is straight, it is structurally at it’s strongest (if paper can be strong… :)) without having to be modified. You can lift one end and lower the other and it stays the same strength. Now, you are going to hold one end (this will be considered the horse’s withers) just as before, the other end (which is now the horse’s forehead), you are going to make a fold about an inch from the edge as though the new ‘tab’ is the front of the horse’s face. Make it in such a way that it is about a 45 degree angle difference from it’s original position in a straight line. Resume holding the tab with your thumb and forefinger, now bring the horse’s nose to a vertical position. What happens along the horse’s neck? Does the crest bow upwards behind the horse’s poll making it the highest point? And what about near the withers? Does it create a hollow there as well? This is why the common use of bringing the horse’s nose on the vertical is not a sign of collection, but often a sign of postural compensation.

Let’s get rid of the paper. The next point is line 5 – which shows a vertical alignment for the weight-bearing front leg. Notice that the leg does not align vertically? What this shows is that the horse’s posture has to compensate in some manner for weight bearing the hind legs. The horse is bringing the front leg behind and under him to assist in bearing weight vs flexing the joints of the hindquarters, adjusting the relationship of the cervical vertebrae and the shoulder girdle and finding balance in collection. So the front legs are still bearing a large amount of weight that the hind legs are not capable of doing in this postural arrangement.

Line 6 is just a basic reference for your mind. The relationship between the point of shoulder and the stifle, points to the fact that the horse’s hindquarters are not actually ‘sitting’ anymore than the joints are flexing.

And finally, the lines of 7. These show the reference angles between the joints in the horse’s hindquarters. The angle between the stifle, hock and fetlock shows it to be very open, bracing almost. The foot is well under the horse’s body but the lack of flexion shows that the horse isn’t balanced and isn’t collected.

In Case you are wondering about the ‘naked development’ of the horse, i.e. the horse’s physical development in piaffe without a saddle and rider… here’s a link to the same horse performing piaffe in hand. Note the same dip in front of the withers, nose on the vertical creating the highest point of the neck to be behind the poll. Lack of engagement in the hind legs…

Wow, isn’t this fun! I just love playing with pictures some days, though admittedly it happens only once in a blue moon…

Next Up : Another Piaffe

So again, as before, 5 likes and 5 dislikes. This is a good contrasting piaffe because these are two very differently bred horses, and two different kinds of compensation.

Now, onto the next example, I hope you haven’t been peeking…

Once again I have laid out lines to make it easier to understand. I managed to forget numbering them however… so bear with me.

We’ll start from right to left, first with the vertical line, showing the horse is actually behind the vertical with his nose. The horizontal line again demonstrates that his poll is not the highest point, by a greater measure than our first example. The circle around his throatlatch shows that it is closed. Second circle near the withers points out that although the horse has a very well developed crest, there is still a mild dip near the withers.

The vertical line on the weight bearing foreleg shows that he is not compensating nearly as much to support the weight bearing of the hind legs by dropping his front leg underneath himself, but if we then turn our attention to the hind limb that is weight bearing we can see that he is not on the hindquarters at all as it trails out almost behind his body in the weight bearing phase.

I like to think of it like this a little… what happens when we mess around with our posture. Take your head and bring your chin in as far as it will go, if you can touch your chest great, if not that is fine. Take it to the limit that you can structurally go. Now, hold this posture while you are sitting first. Maybe even sit beside a full length mirror. Pay attention to what happens to your shoulders. Do they round forward over time? Try to hold your posture perfectly straight while you keep your chin in position. You may be capable initially, but over time your muscles become tired and your body tries to compensate for this awkward and unnatural position.

Now, do the same exercise while standing. Pay close attention to what happens to your hips. Do they rotate forwards or back? Are you able to flatten your low back and take the curve out of it? That is in effect much of what the horse has to do in the piaffe when correctly collected, he utilizes the strength of his loin while changing the angle of his pelvis. In humans it would be taking the curve out of the low back, flexing our leg joints. How is your body feeling with your head in this position? It would be really easy for someone to influence your speed and direction if you kept your head in this position, it affects your posture and weakens your balance point.

Next!

By now, you should know the drill.. 5 likes and 5 dislikes.

I just want to point out ahead of time, that of the three examples, this is the only image which displays a horse whose tail isn’t swishing and muscles overall appear generally soft and supple. Just a side note.

Now, onto my marked up image, and I even remembered numbers! Yay…

I have failed to add the circles around the throatlatch and at the withers on this image, for two reasons. First, the throatlatch is open and I think that is pretty clear to see. Second, the withers are not really clear to see beyond the saddle pad, so will receive little commenting from me, I try not to make assumptions when possible.

Line #1, shows the horse’s nose beyond the vertical, allowing his throatlatch to stay open, him to effectively use his neck muscles in lifting the shoulder girdle and adjusting his overall posture to change weightbearing to the hindquarters. Line #2 demonstrates the poll as the highest point.

Line #3 shows the one vital place of weakness, that being that the front leg is stepping underneath the horse to help bear weight. Based upon the overall picture of this piaffe I could try to surmise that it may be some form of muscular weakness that he has not yet been developed physically enough to maintain this correct posture without some help from the front end yet. That being said, it is still only a guess and will lead into nothing more.

Lines #4 show more flexion in the hind limb joints. They are closing more, think of how an accordion folds into itself. The angles between the lines are also fairly even which shows that the joints are bearing stress fairly equally.

Line #5 is a reference showing the relative position between the weight bearing foot and the horse’s point of hip. The hip is beginning to be the primary point of stress overall, vs the fetlock, hock or stifle joint. If the horse were to come underneath himself anymore the loins would take the brunt of the load.

Line #6 is again one more reference showing that the hindquarters are indeed dropping rather than maintaining level with the horse’s front end.

And with that, I think I will end this portion of Competitive Collection : Bench Pressing Air Weights. Tune in next time for examples of other collected movements…

Much has been written on the subject of hyperflexion of late. It seems that since the initial public outcry for it’s abusive effects, a multitude of evidence has since been designed to prove just that in every media – web, print, video and audio. There are seminars, there are lectures, books and so on. They are based on several strong points, including for example:

1. Physical Ramifications – proving the structural and muscular damage that occurs from the use of hyperflexion in training and riding the horse, from temporary to permanent, though the emphasis is on permanence.
2. Psychological Effects – the comparison has been made, that the use of hyperflexion (extreme) develops two types of horses, those that becomes mentally unstable and perhaps will not stand up to this kind of training for one reason or several, and those that have popularized the term “learned helplessness” in the horse world.
3. The use of hyperflexion by Classical masters, wholly those unpopular by riders adhering to the Gueriniere model of dressage. In particular Baucher and the Duke of Newcastle.

It often seems to require that such an extreme form of any of our riding habits come to light before we recognize in any way that we too have been participating in the same methods we now despise, but it has not yet become popular to despise all forms of hyperflexion aside from those which are extreme…

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Hyperflexion has found it’s way into almost every barn and stable, through the simple lack of awareness to it’s presence. From english to western, and even the ‘classicists’ of dressage. It is a loss of the horse’s posture. Why is that? Because correct posture is what dictates our ability of balance, strength, coordination and health. When we lose our posture, we lose one or many of those elements. The same goes for the horse. His loss of posture may show up as him being on the forehand, or being less coordinated in his movement. High level dressage horses are commonly seen losing their coordination in the basic gaits – broken trot diagonals, four beat canters, lateralized walks. When they move up to perform the collected movements it is often seen them almost falling over their own feet. Of course the splendor of tense energy often blinds us to these components, instead we see the legs lifted almost to the ceiling and the stark comparison of slow (almost dead energy) piaffes transitioning into explosive ‘extended trot’.

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We fail to understand even what our own posture looks like when it is correct or incorrect most of the time, unless we’ve been specifically educated in that area. What is viewed as correct has fallen to what is most appealing to our eyes and pleasing to our senses, rather than what functions most efficiently to keep us healthy and capable.

As riders, our posture in the saddle frequently mimics that which we have disposed our horses to taking. We lean, we hunch, we have no balance, no center. We have no strength, though that is the very means we rely upon to direct the horse, and we have little coordination of our limbs without dependence upon the others. We have created in our horses the things we struggle with ourselves.

The use of the horse’s neck as a means of leverage and control has been a long standing tradition in the world of equestrians. When we fail to understand the depths of communication, we then resort to physical means of accomplishing our goal. We can be strong, or we can be precise. We cannot be precise without strength, and we cannot be strong without precision. When we rely on strength solely, we lose our precision, our ability to sense pressure becomes dulled. It is through the release of pressure and the relinquishing of our strength that we once again find precision. They both support each other, and they both deter the other – to find the balance is to perfect them both.

International Rider, Coby Van Baalen’s Power & Paint

The issue of hyperflexion continues to arise and stir the emotions of equestrians, and still it has been allowed. It has been given support to be utilized by ‘professionals’. A privilege also given to the users of draw reins and other gadgets, which have long been purported to only be effectively used by the highly skilled, and by the same token unnecessary tools to the highly skilled. A double edged sword. Some rules, often not followed in competition only serve to support the breaking of more rules and subsequently the misunderstanding and abuse of the horse. For example:

“The head should remain in a steady position, as a rule slightly in front of the vertical, with a supple poll as the highest point of the neck, and no resistance should be offered to the rider.” FEI

“The neck should be raised, the poll high and the head slightly in front of the vertical.” FEI (on the Halt)

“The walk is a marching pace in a regular four time beat.” and “When the fore leg and the hind leg on the same side move almost on the same beat, the walk tends to become an almost lateral movement. This irregularity, which might become an ambling movement, is a serious deterioration of the pace.” FEI (on the Walk)

“Irregular steps with the hind or front legs, swinging the forehand or the hindquarters from one side to the other, as well as jerky movements of the forelegs or the hind legs, dragging the hind legs in the moment of suspension or double beat are serious faults.” FEI (on the Passage)

“The hindquarters are lowered; the haunches with active hocks are well engaged, giving great freedom, lightness and mobility to the shoulders and forehand. Each diagonal pair of legs is raised and returned to the ground alternately, with spring and an even cadence.” and “The neck should be raised and gracefully arched, with the poll as the
highest point.” and, especially… “Moving even slightly backwards, irregular or jerky steps with the hind or front legs, no clear diagonal steps, crossing either the fore or hind legs, or swinging either the forehand or the hindquarters from one side to the other, getting wide behind or in front, moving too much forward or double beat rhythm are serious faults.
A movement with hurried, unlevel or irregular steps, without cadence or spring cannot be called a true piaffe.” FEI (on the Piaffe)

More from the FEI… “Submission (original bold) does not mean subordination, but an obedience revealing its
presence by a constant attention, willingness and confidence in the whole behaviour of the horse as well as by the harmony, lightness and ease it is displaying in the execution of the different movements. The degree of submission is also manifested by the way the horse accepts the bridle, with a light and soft contact and a supple poll, or with resistance to or evasion of the rider’s hand, being either “above the bit” or “behind the bit” respectively.
“Putting out the tongue, keeping it above the bit or drawing it up altogether, as well as grinding the teeth and swishing the tail are mostly signs of nervousness, tension or resistance on the part of the horse and must be taken into account by the judges in their marks for the movement concerned as well as in the collective mark for “submission”.”

“The heels should be the lowest point.” (on the Rider)

“Article 419 OBJECT OF INTERNATIONAL DRESSAGE EVENTS
The FEI instituted an International Dressage Event in 1929 in order to preserve the Equestrian Art from the abuses to which it can be exposed and to preserve it in the purity of its principles, so that it could be handed on intact to
generations of riders to come.”

Complete FEI Rules

How have we traveled so far from these ideals? That the very simply stated rules of the FEI have been pushed to the side, and those being rewarded are guilty of breaking nearly every one of these rules. Poll high, head in front of the vertical, is sacrificed for false submission and the use of force.

One of the most popular of recent rides, that of Andreas Helgestrand with his very young, 9 year old mare, shows many of these broken rules. Though not including rollkur/hyperflexion, it is still a prime example of how the slow breakdown of rules leads to the fast breakdown to abuse. Easily caught on tape, but glaringly present in photos…

Note the raised heel of the rider. The horse’s face is behind the vertical, swishing tail, mis-shapened lip and excessive foaming of the mouth. The horse is far from collection with hind legs trailing behind her. This is the horse who won the competition…

If we have allowed the laxity of even the basic elements involved in Dressage, it becomes no wonder that we would then turn a cheek to the presence and growing popularity of hyperflexion. Any means possible to win, to become a star, to create the movements that require an artist’s touch to perfect. Get involved, speak out, make this unpopular. Why are we afraid to protect our horse from abusive training methods, to save face from those who are popular at the moment. Have we never left high-school and the cliques and peer pressure? The horse must come first!

Links of Interest :

USDF Statement of Animal Welfare

Rollkur Comments from USDF Region 4 News

Sustainable Dressage’s Explanation of Rollkur

News Release – Power & Paint

Sjef Janssen – His Method

Horses For Life – A Rollkur Pictogram

Walter Zettl on Rollkur

“Learned Helplessness” with Ulrike Thiel

**English Translation of “Dressur Pervers”**