Blue Tongue Dressage Outrage Goes Viral and Global; Rollkur Opponents See Abuse on Video, What Do You See?
by Fran Jurga | 23 October 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com
It was just a video clip posted on YouTube. But in a few days, 19,835 people all over the world had seen it.
It was just a group page on FaceBook. But within 24 hours, 841 people had joined it, again from all over the world.
The viewers and Facebookers are gawking at the four minutes of warmup arena action you see posted here. This latest incident in the moral outrage of the rank-and-file horse sports supporter has surpassed the snarly debates over eventing safety, Isabell Werth medicating her horse and Big Brown (who?) losing the Triple Crown combined. And it did this only by showing a horse's discolored tongue, swishing tail and unnaturally bent neck. They took it from there.
This video clip was shot at an FEI World Cup Dressage qualifier in Europe last week. Videographers Luise Thomsen and Julie Taylor from Epona TV were surprised that a rider at this level schooled this stallion for as long as two hours in a hyperflexion frame.
They grabbed the camera when they noticed that the horse's swollen tongue had turned blue. The horse's lips were curled and apparently even the rider could see it, as he stopped and put the horse's tongue back into its mouth.
Apparently the schooling ring steward did not see anything wrong with this rider's method.
Click here to read the full story about this videotape and about the effects of the curb bit of a double bridle on the horse's tongue.
FEI rules discourage what is called hyperflexion, rollkur or "bite the chest"--riding with the horse in an overbent neck and head position for a prolonged period of time. The practice is the subject of last year's best-selling horse book, Tug of War: Classical vs Modern Dressage by German veterinarian Gerd Heuschmann.
A panel of world-class biomechanics and equine anatomy experts met in Switzerland on January 31, 2006 to discuss the problem with the FEI, who concluded that there was no evidence that rollkur caused direct harm to the horse, stating in a press release, "There was clearly none evidence that no structural damage is created by this training exercise, when used in the right way by expert riders." They did add, however, that it could cause harm if used incorrectly by inexperienced riders and that hyperflexion cannot be self-maintained by the horse for an extended period of time.
They grabbed the camera when they noticed that the horse's swollen tongue had turned blue. The horse's lips were curled and apparently even the rider could see it, as he stopped and put the horse's tongue back into its mouth.
Apparently the schooling ring steward did not see anything wrong with this rider's method.
Click here to read the full story about this videotape and about the effects of the curb bit of a double bridle on the horse's tongue.
FEI rules discourage what is called hyperflexion, rollkur or "bite the chest"--riding with the horse in an overbent neck and head position for a prolonged period of time. The practice is the subject of last year's best-selling horse book, Tug of War: Classical vs Modern Dressage by German veterinarian Gerd Heuschmann.
Rollkur first made the news a few years ago when Dutch Olympic dressage champion Anky Van Grunsven was videotaped in a warmup arena riding her horse in the allegedly abusive manner. A German dressage magazine pumped up the volume and an international outcry concerned the FEI that it was not protecting the welfare of horses at its competitions.
A panel of world-class biomechanics and equine anatomy experts met in Switzerland on January 31, 2006 to discuss the problem with the FEI, who concluded that there was no evidence that rollkur caused direct harm to the horse, stating in a press release, "There was clearly none evidence that no structural damage is created by this training exercise, when used in the right way by expert riders." They did add, however, that it could cause harm if used incorrectly by inexperienced riders and that hyperflexion cannot be self-maintained by the horse for an extended period of time.Since last spring, Heuschmann's DVD If Horse's Could Speak has been on sale and goes even further than the book to tie overschooling, disconnected riding and especially overflexion/rollkur to unsoundness and musculoskeletal injuries in dressage horses. But it is very, very hard to prove the dots are connected.
In a special interview with Olympics champion Anky Van Grunsven on Epona TV, filmed at the same FEI World Cup qualifier as the blue tongue, Anky defends her use of hyperflexion as a training method, saying that she uses it for a few minutes at a time, then lets the horse relax, but that she only uses it on her advanced horses, and horses that are strong enough to do it, and for whom it is easy to go to that frame.
In a special interview with Olympics champion Anky Van Grunsven on Epona TV, filmed at the same FEI World Cup qualifier as the blue tongue, Anky defends her use of hyperflexion as a training method, saying that she uses it for a few minutes at a time, then lets the horse relax, but that she only uses it on her advanced horses, and horses that are strong enough to do it, and for whom it is easy to go to that frame.
In other words, she paraphrased the parameters under which rollkur is more or less allowed as a warmup method by the FEI.
The FEI can only rule on what has been proven by research, even though some things seem very logical. "Welfare" and "comfort" may not mean the same thing in translation...or in a court of law.
But after this weekend, stewards may be more aware of blue tongues in the warmup rings. The blue tongue dressage virus will make sure of that. No one will be immune to this one.
Thanks to Romy from my dressage group for infecting me with the blue tongue virus and to EponaTV for allowing the video to be embedded here.
posted by Fran Jurga @ 10/25/2009
14 comments
14 Comments:
What a beautiful pair the horse and rider make - it's a shame they didn't spend more time with their ground work which would alleviate this rider's perceived need for excessive control and flexing...
I am so happy that this is getting the international attention that it is.
In the spring epona.tv was one of the main forces behind a TV programme called LPS (which discuss sore subject in sports). however the aftermaths of this program has been calmer than we wish for, and I really hope that photage such as this can get the ball rolling.
Thanks for covering this topic in your blog!
And PETA says racing is bad?!!
Though I know nothing about dressage, it truly looks sad to see this "rollkur" training while other horses in the ring school with heads held high.
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL HORSE & SUCH A DUMB RIDER. IT'S AMAZING THE HORSE CAN CARRY HIMSELF AS WELL AS HE IS WITH HIS HEAD TIED DOWN LIKE THAT. THE RIDER'S HEAD SHOULD BE IN THAT POSITION ALSO SO HE KNOW'S HOW IT FEEL'S.
Yup. I'm late to the party. But I'm starting to get pretty annoying. The elite people running this sport need to realize that the bulk of its members/supporters are not elitists, but are average-income, middle-aged amateurs.
Our horses are also our pets. Most of us ride and compete for fun, without Olympic dreams. We don't want to see this crap. We don't sanction or condone it. We pay our dues.
Dressage is turning into a club for those naughty, haughty individuals of privileged birth, as much as other sports before it. They'll buy, cheat, drug their way to gold. And the FEI is run by their friends and associates, who let them go alone, with just some vague language about "not for too long" or something - just to placate the rest of us.
It's beginning to look like a corrupt Skull&Bones society club - with horses.
i started dressage because of the gentle conditioning, lightness, communication and respect for our equine partners...but what is this? does it always happen where big money and egos come together? i had to go to the barn and hug my two precious critters after watching this...i'd rather be a low level dressage rider for the rest of my life than doing this to such precious animals...
THANK you for spreading the word!!
L -Thank you for showing this to the world! What an absolutely inhumane rider. They should have been eliminated. The photographer said the rider warmed up the stallion for two hours in "rollkur"!!!!
Was no one paying any attention???
Appauling!
What a horrible sight to see! When will people learn that, that is no way to train a horse! Thank you for helping to spread to word against "rollkur". People need to learn that horses are not here for our disposal.
I've been riding dressage for several years, and I was absolutely sick to my stomach seeing his blue tongue. It looks like the oxygen is so cut off that it would fall out. The hyperflexing is just going to break him down. I wouldn't be surprised if this horse totally breaks down in a short time.
This is a disgrace to dressage.
Keep up the good work. Rollkur MUST be BANNED from all competition venues.
COME ON the FEI, all us 'plebs' can see that it is out and out cruelty - why not you????
The dressage community clearly is in denial about what constitutes abuse. Someone should have insisted the ring steward intervene, or called the appropriate authorities. Let it go to court. It wouldn't be about winning the case ... it would be about holding Patrick and others like him who suffer from denial accountable. If you even suspected a child was being abused, wouldn't you call the police? This is no different.
My heart hurts for this beautiful horse and the distress he is in.
Dressage is about harmony between horse and rider.The wellbeing of the horse is foremost.
I feel that has been lost.
It is the responsibility of the fellow competitors and stewards to speak for the horse in these situations.
I also agree with letting it go to court and being held accountable.
Nothing by force is beautiful. Lack of time and lack of intelligence is what this shows....as well as the AMAZING athlete and soul this horse has to not send this guy flyin! The same movements (actually, with far better quality) can be achieved BITLESS, SPURLESS, and without pain to the horse at all. Yes, it takes time, yes the horse has to be free of other "issues" (like back pain, hoof pain, etc) so get the word out there. It should not be tollerated, it should not be overlooked. Start to examine the true expression of elite sports....the faces of the horse!~
The FEI must surely know that if a horse's tongue is BLUE, there is a problem.
To insist that nothing is wrong -- when anyone who watches this video can clearly see a lifeless blue tongue dangling out of this poor horse's mouth -- this is denial so far gone it approaches insanity.
The very, very bare minimum of human stewardship and responsibility would require the rider to GET DOWN off of his horse and further inspect the trauma he has caused to his horse, and to immediately give his horse a bit of rest. This would only illustrate the absolute bare minimum of basic human decency.
But, the rider does NONE of these things. He can't even be bothered to dismount. He he simply pushes the discolored tongue back into the horse's mouth so that it will not be seen by the obviously uncomfortable onlookers and continues to ride this suffering horse.
Patrik Kittel demonstrates complete disregard for his horse's well-being. We can clearly see this by simply observing the video. How is there even a debate? The horse's tongue is blue and the rider does not respond with even the slightest modicum of care.
If the FEI cannot admit to and take action against the obvious seriousness of this grave abuse then the FEI cannot be taken seriously. Please.
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