The Ins and Outs of Rollkur

Rollkur, or hyperflexion refers to the position of a horse's head while being ridden or trained, most commonly in Dressage. In an example of Rollkur, some typical characteristics are the horse's chin is pulled right down against his chest, there is excessive foaming at the mouth and the movement of the legs is restricted with disengaged hindquarters.

When a horse's head is held in a position where his chin is against his chest, it stretches the muscles along the top of his neck while forcing the muscles on the underneath side to contract. This stops the horse from being able to carry the weight of the rider as these muscles are just being contorted, not useful.

The excessive foaming and salivation is an easily spotted sign of Rollkur and there is no way it looks normal, natural or comfortable. Bending the neck of a horse to that extent closes the windpipe by a significant amount which forces the horse to have more laboured breathing. Their breathing would not be made any easier with the extra saliva and it's also a possibility for the pressure of the bit to press down on the tongue and restrict blood flow. This can cause the tongue to go blue and limp, which also interferes with the breathing.

A horse is generally trained to bring his hindquarters underneath him and use his body more effectively for his work, but when Rollkur is performed on a horse, he is unable to do so. This is shown in the trot and piaffe. When a horse is engaging his hindquarters, the forearm of the leg moving forward and the cannon bone of the diagonal pair that is also going forward should be parallel. As soon as the horse's hindquarters get left behind, the diagonal pairs stop being parallel when performing a trot or piaffe.

The FEI Dressage rulebook states that a horse should carry his head with his head just in front of or above the vertical, with his poll as the highest point on his neck. This allows free movement and no restrictions to the muscles or breathing.

Rollkur, or hyperflexion is a cruel and painful method of training and it is seen too commonly in the modern equestrian world. It puts unnecessary pressure on the muscles and windpipe of the horse and restricts his movement greatly.

This is just the simple ins and outs of Rollkur, for more information, there are detailed and informative videos on YouTube and articles all over the internet.

Until next time,
KaimanawaKim