Say NO to Rollkur!!!! How YOU can help.......

“Rollkur” is a horse training system used by some trainers from many disciplines including dressage, jumping, eventing, & some Western disciplines such as reining. It is typified by riding the horse’s head with his nose behind the vertical, in a state of extreme hyperflexion. Whenever you see a horse whose poll is not the highest point you are witnessing “rollkur”. The sad reality is that many people have seen SO much of this type of riding that they don’t have a clear mental picture of what correct riding should look like anymore.

     “Rollkur” has become increasingly evident at all levels of dressage competition, from small, local schooling shows through the Olympic levels. The problem with this type of riding is that it causes physical & mental anguish to the horse because it causes pain & leads to permanent physiological damage.

     Unfortunately more & more Olympic level riders using “rollkur” to train their horses are winning with HUGE scores. Of course this sends a confusing message to other riders. In the past 15 years the picture of competitive dressage has changed dramatically. Very few horses are now seen in true self carriage, which is not a common by-product of “rollkur”.

     2012 is an Olympic year, and many of us who are actively engaged in attempting to bring an end to this abuse are banding together to attempt to make an impression with the FEI to stop “rollkur” at the top international level of competition. Our goal is to cause a return to classical, humane methods of horse training. The consensus is that hobby riders look to Olympic competitors as their role models. If top riders are forced to stop using “rollkur” the message should eventually trickle down to national level trainers, riders, amateurs & weekend warriors.

      If you are interested in learning more about how you can help make a difference for the welfare of our beloved companion, the horse, please visit www.No-Rollkur.com, or visit them on Facebook. There is a lot of educational material & a petition to the FEI is being put together. Putting an end to “rollkur” is the least we can do for the animal that has carried us high above the fray throughout history. It is our responsibility to speak on behalf of the horse out of respect to this amazing creature!

    

Xenophon "On Horsemanship" Dressage Training Thoughts

Although Xenophon lived 2500 years ago his “ON HORSEMANSHIP” is as timely now as it was then. The way a horse thinks and behaves is the same now as it was then. The difference is that in 350 BC a person’s relationship with their horse was often the deciding factor whether the person would live or die. Hence, a great deal of thought and action was given to every detail of the horse’s care & education. Since we’re beginning a New Year, let’s take this opportunity to review the work of Xenophon & take it to heart in our dealings with our horses every day!

Your horse should be your loyal friend, not a slave. Teach you horse as if it was your child. Work to develop your horse’s body & soul. Your goal for your horse is to continually improve his capacity to perform & his reliability. Imprinting & influencing your horse’s character must be a priority, this work must begin as early as possible to teach your horse to trust, respect, & obey you. Your horse should ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOU!!!!

Take the time to teach your horse to LOVE working with you so that he will voluntarily obey you!


Always be cautious and considerate of your horses needs. Yes, that probably means you will have to invest substantial resources to accomplish this goal. Excellent care for your horse will require time for work, and money to purchase what he needs, food, hay, bedding, vet, dentist, worming,farrier,supplements, clothes, etc………and time to care for him, grooming, riding, turning out, maintaining a stall for his rest, the list goes on & on………..be prepared to work hard for good results!

Invest the time to develop a verbal language with your horse so that you can communicate easily, he needs to be able to understand you, keep it simple. In order for your horse to excel & be happy he needs to have consistent boundaries at ALL TIMES. Poor behavior must be immediately corrected, a simple but stern, “NO” should suffice in most cases. However, POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR IS ALWAYS THE TOP PRIORITY. Reward every good performance & every progress in training/learning. When he works well, give him a short break from the work, or stop working altogether

Keep your horse interested in his work by giving him different stimulus. Include as many different types of situations as possible in his work. Get him out of the ring, ride cross country, do cavaletti, run, jump, and hunt, and challenge him while he has FUN!!! All work & no play makes your horse dull………

In order to help your horse you must work on training your own body & character! Make every effort to learn a correct, independent seat. This will allow you to guide your horse in every exercise & situation. YOUR HAND MUST NEVER DISTURB THE HORSE’S MOUTH.
Train yourself to stay calm in every situation, and to control your emotions. NEVER allow yourself to lose your temper or become impatient with your horse.


Realize that dressage “movements” aren’t tricks you can teach your horse to do by force or unnatural means of coercion. These movements are the horse’s impressive form of self-expression which he shows to other horses when he’s especially excited!

Your horse should experience joy in his work. His expression & posture should reveal his enthusiasm.

Don’t try to collect & elevate your horse with backward riding or a strong bit, or any other type of coercion. Ride decisively forward with lightly applied reins, always yielding the reins at the appropriate moment. (In other words, NO ROLLKUR!!!!!)

"Aria"

Here you can see that Aria's mouth is very wet, indicating that she used her body correctly today.

Dressage Training Thoughts, the 20 Meter Circle

There is a lot of confusion about the 20 meter circle in dressage. For the uninitiated, it looks like we are all just “kooks” who do a  lot of running around in a circle, about as exciting as grass growing !!

Upon closer examination however, the circle is  the PERFECT, actually, ONLY way to train a horse correctly.

Since horses are handed, just like humans, the circle works towards making the horse ambidextrous. In order to straighten the horse, we must first bend him evenly in both directions, which is the work of the circle.

When you are riding your horse on a circle to the left, you are stretching the right side of his torso, while training the left hind leg to carry more weight & the right hind leg to take a longer step. When you reverse directions you are doing the opposite gymnastic work. Combined, this is what serves to teach the horse to work in “relative straightness”, meaning the inside hind foot steps into the foot print of the inside front leg. Then, on the straight line thehorse can “lace” his hind legs which allows him to load weight onto his hocks evenly when collection is begun, thereby prolonging his soundness & usefulness as a riding horse.

If the bending work is overlooked, the weaker hind leg will “wear out” sooner, causing hind end lameness, and later compensatory lameness in the front legs.

If the rider can execute  an accurate circle, the figure will teach the horse the concept. The 20 meter circle is the largest circle, or “bent line”. The 5 meter circle is the smallest circle, or “bent line.” The smaller the circle becomes, the more difficult the work becomes for the horse. This is why the bending work ALWAYS starts on the 20 meter circle.

Since the circle itself will teach the horse the concept if ridden correctly, it is the rider’s responsibility to understand how to ride a correct circle. Unfortunately many  riders are uncertain how to ride a proper circle. In this post I will attempt to clarify this topic in easy to understand terms.

Of course everyone is aware that there are three  20 meter circles in a regulation dressage arena. For the purpose of this article we will concentrate on the circle at A. The way I teach my students how to ride a 20 meter circle is to have them visualize a clock on the arena floor. 12:00 is at A, 6:00 is 2 meters beyond V & P, and 3:00 is 1/2 way between 12:00 & 6:00, while 9:00 is 1/2 way between 6:00 & 12:00.

Beginning to the left, ride from 12:00 to 3:00, then 3:00 to 6:00, then 6:00-9:00, then 9:00 to 12:00. Your right knee should only touch these points for one stride. If you ride the figure in consistent, 20 meter bend, you should have 4 consecutive,equivalent quadrants with the same number of strides in each quadrant. Sound simple? If you can ride this figure correctly in both directions you have achieved a very important goal in classical dressage training!!!