Anky van Grunsven- Spruce Meadows 2007

[BetzkiNilzki]

well, as far as i can see its not anky that makes the horse drop his head here. but because of that she trains rollkur the horse has not gotten the right musscles to do what she wants it to do here. you can see that she holds the horse very very hard in the mouth and forces it to do it. you can see that the horses neck has a lack of musscles. so, as far as i can see the horse drops his head to get away fron that terribly sharp thing in its mouth. (i don´t know what its called in english)

[Berberpferd1]

Steckenpferd schwingt nicht über den Rücken und flüchtet hinter die Senkrechte.

[blutreigen]

Ich finde, was das Aufrollen betrifft nimmt sich Anky sehr zurück auf Tunieren. Da sieht man das kaum noch. Das heißt jedoch nicht, dass sie ihre Ansicht zu Trainingsmethoden geändert hat!!! Das Pferd zeigt in dieser kurzen Sequenz wenig bis gar keine Hankenbeugung. Ich finde, Hankenbeugung ist allerwichtigstes Indiz für eine Pferdegerechte Ausbildung, die allerdings kaum ein Pferd aufweist, welches sie reitet... Was man ihr lassen muss, ist ihre ausgesprochen gute Musikwahl! Trotzdem: Stop it!

[painthorselover101]

i feel bad for any horse this bitch rides.

[Flicka090]

Das arme Pferd!!! Kann Anky eigendlich noch was anderes außer Rollkur?!

[littletrine]

@Flicka090 öööhm. weißt du überhaupt was rollkur ist?

das pferd ist meistens vor der senkrechten und nur ein einziges mal rollt es sich für noch nicht mal eine sekunde ein weil es stolpert. also bitte..

[avrillavigne1981]

@littletrine es geht generell über ihre Trainingsmethoden und nicht nur über den einen Ritt

[XLiseuh]

WTF is wrong with this video! The horse comes too deep for like 1 sec! You she that Anky is out of balance when the horse did that so she didn't ask that...!

[lena3309]

@XLiseuh just so you are aware all the hyperflexion happens behind the scenes not in front of a judge. This video shows that she has used hyperflexion on this horse in the warm-up ring. Its not trying to say that she used the rolkur method in the ring, it is explaining that rolkur is the cause. It isn't just that she lost her balance when the horse "came too deep". the horse lost its footing due to the method of training which inhibits the horse from seeing correctly in front of it.

[Crimsy3000]

No respect for this.... Spruce Meadows should be embarrassed to have allowed this and animal control should be called to supervise what they allow in their shows.

[Minztrelisinheaven1]

how i hate that woman....

She isn't ''rolling'' her horse up as much because she is at an public event

[Dressageg123]

I LOVE U ANKY!!!!!!!! lol

[marijkehorses]

It's Jus A Moment,, Everybody has wrong moment in there riding!! Also Edward Gal

[Meggiileinchen]

I hate Anky and Rollkur!!

[jjclimb69]

Sorry my last post is to Walnut28comms!

[Walnut28Comms]

@jjclimb69 I have never "thrown" a horse. I am just referring to techniques that have been used through the ages, and I have been humbled by many people AND horses. I just suggest that we at least TRY to voice our opinions as opinions, and not FACTS. Extreme religious fundamentalists should be good examples of how we should treat each other w/ respect, esp. experienced trainers. We may not agree with their techniques, but try to see if their horses repeatedly go lame and/or perform poorly.

[jjclimb69]

@Walnut28Comms Well, again, I think I think you're misguided. I have provided you with scientific evidence to suggest that RK is harmful. Science [and operant/classical conditioning] is not an opinion or a 'method' they are provable disprovable facts because they have been discovered through careful scientific investigation, just as we now know that cigarettes are concinogenic! The only difference here is that when you ignore it your horse suffers!

[Walnut28Comms]

@jjclimb69 I often quote George Morris: "it's not THE system that counts, it's A system."

[thyljia]

@Walnut28Comms Unfortunately it's not just a system, it's not just a point of view either. It's a harmful method and proven to be and every human with half a brain and an introduction to biomechanics understands why. There is absolutely no way to euphemize this. I would even go as far as to call it a relevant animal welfare case with legal ramifications.

[namarie54]

Watch Reiner Klimke's Gold Medal ride on Ahlerich. Then watch Anky.

Enough said.

[aosics]

Oh please look at the tension in the horses neck. This is not dressage this is making the horse go on the bit in a collected trot and passage. Allthough her we see the horse fall onto the front end and onto the forehand because Anky is holding the horses head up. Where is the self carriage Ankie ? Surely not in your barn. I have not rode at a grand prix level but i would give it all i got to show Anky the proper way and put my money where my mouth is. !!!

[aosics]

Ok, Having ridden with one of the worlds best dressage riders who is now deceased. I can confidently say that ROLLKUER and HYPERFLEXION DO NOT BELONG IN DRESSAGE AS THEY ARE NOT A TRAINING TECHNIQUE OR CRITIQUED MOVEMENT. THIS DEMONSTRATION THAT ANKIE FAILED TO MAKE A KUER IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO CLASSICAL DRESSAGE. THERE IS A TERM FOR ALL YOU "DRESSAGE RIDERS" TO RESEARCH.

[jennyg8525]

arent u supposed to ride the feeling???

[Littlekat909]

No she cant not "roll" her horse because she has no idea how to actually get a horse to work!

I ridden/owned/ worked with warmbloods/stallions and i can tell you that they can be manipulated by the bridle because they have be taught to respect it!

Getting the engine never consists if getting the horses chin to touch its chest that practically paralyses the horse... why dont you take your own advice and look into these things?

[Walnut28Comms]

I can assure anyone that if a big warm blood feels pain, no matter how strong the bit is, they will pitch you off. Period. If you look at the "cycle" carefully, you will see a bending/loosening of the jaw, when the hyper-flexion takes pace, follow by Anky releasing the rein, and the horse either stretch down, or remaining in self carriage. If in pain, you would see pinned ears, bucking, serious tail clamping, and eventual lameness. Period.

[jjclimb69]

@Walnut28Comms - Wrong! Science is telling us more and more about the behavioural responses of horses where researchers are now applying the concept of 'learnt helplesness' to horses. Due to their trainability horses do, infact, suffer with 'learnt helplessness' and will APPEAR to show very little resistence or response to adversive stimuli even when pain is involved. It's just that riders like Anky arent smart enought to recognise those subtle signs!

[Walnut28Comms]

@jjclimb69 We'll have to agree to disagree. I know first hand that if a big warm blood gets angry, he can easily over power his rider. Some are more submissive by nature. What Anky is doing is a form of stretching, building up muscles, just as we do at the gym when we stretch and/or hyperflex our own muscles. It may feel uncomfortable, but as your muscles get stronger, you can do it longer, and when released, your muscles are better shaped to do whatever you are training to do.

[jjclimb69]

Do you know what 'hyper' means? Is means 'excessive'. Hyperflexion of the cervical spine in humans is normally associated with injury & does not form part of an exercise routine. Also, recent studies found that stretching before exercise is harmful at worst/useless at best. Don't believe what trainers tell you-read the online veterinarian journals and research conducted into this area. Anyone who is educated and really concerned about the welfare of thier horses wouldn't condone RK.

[Walnut28Comms]

@jjclimb69 I recommend that everyone "ride the back" and not the frame. If everyone would take their saddles off periodically, you can find out quickly if your horse's back is stiff or sore, or relaxed and springy. THEN, to compete, you need to add some brilliance. I encourage everyone to check out the video "bareback dressage." I strongly believe that the horse will tell you if his back is sore by anything you are doing. The fact that Anky's x-trots are so sittable speaks volumes.

[jjclimb69]

@Walnut28Comms Read the science! RK-Borstel found that horses are more fearful/dangerous to ride. McGreevy found there was visionary/respiratory impairment. Warendorf found calcifications of vertebrae/skull. 'Conflict behaviours' arose as there is overshadowing of aids-simultaneous leg/rein pressure. Hyperflexion is in no doubt abuse!

[Walnut28Comms]

@jjclimb69 Ride bareback. The horse will tell you more than the scientists. And you cannot bully a horse when riding bareback.

[jjclimb69]

I'm really sorry to be rude but why would anyone choose to ride a horse in a certain way when they know there is evidence that states that is is harmful? As humans we find it difficult to hold two opposing views at the same time and we always try to eliminate this. Therefore, riders can PRETEND that hyperflexion is not damaging as they try to lesson the importance of evidence against HF/RK. However, progress is only made when we are brave enough to reject our world view and embrace the new.

[Walnut28Comms]

@jjclimb69 i cannot tell you how MANY instances "scientists" and "experts" have made strong rulings about this or that, only to be proven later wrong. In fact, I argued that, if used judiciously, hyperflexion COULD be comparable to stretching/hyperflexing our own muscles. Someone replied that stretching before exercising has been proven to be a useless old wives tale. That may be so, although I wasn't referring to stretching before exercising. I was referring to stretching AS exercise.

[thyljia]

@Walnut28Comms only that it's not only a stretching of the muscle. It's forcing a flight animal into a position it's not comfortable with (heavily limited eyesight, also a submissive gesture communication wise). There's a bunch of anatomical issues that come with LDR, that have absolutely nothing to do with dubious scientists and whatnot. It's simple anatomy, something every vet learns within their first year, also something that should be part of every rider's education.

[Walnut28Comms]

@thyljia I can see that we will just settle on disagreement. I have studied the video of Anky and the chestnut with the annoyed tail many times. He is ready to blow, and she does what must be done to prevent it. As with restraining a child, it is something not desirable, but -- like using a twitch on a horse, or tying up a leg, or throwing them to the ground -- sometimes you do what you must to keep them from learning they have the upper hand. "Submission to the aids" is an overall factor.

[thyljia]

@Walnut28Comms I am so inclined to agree to disagree,but forgive me if i'd like to point out one major issue.Horses aren't vile creatures,a horse "ready to blow" usually either has health issues or simply doesn't understand what the rider wants.Submission through force or dominance is not something that agrees with the nature of a horse(throwing a horse to the ground !! falls into that category too,the twitch on the other hand is a tool for extreme situations of course).thanksfor the courtesy :)

[Walnut28Comms]

@thyljia hmmmm. You've never been on a horse that is triggered by something external (i.e. another horse bucking, a big gust of wind, another horse galloping up his butt, or a couple of horses galloping away in another direction)....inciting him to blow up. He can do so only because the rider doesn't have his complete attention and/or he has not yet learned to submit completely to his rider. I attended Morven Park IEI, where we rode 100's of "difficult" horses and learned from them.

[thyljia]

@Walnut28Comms In fact, I do, plenty. Of course a horse is an animal and you can't always control external influences, happens. A horse that understands and trusts you will shy away and then relax again once the mere reaction is done and the brain continues working ;). Still has very little to do with dominance or submission. Of course the horse has to accept you, but by forcing it do so, you def. wont gain its trust. And that will, of course, get you in trouble in extreme situations.

[jjclimb69]

You show no understanding of equine evolution & thier behaviour! The chestnut is showing 'conflict behaviours' as a result of cues (aids) applied simultaneously (excessive hand/leg pressure!) What you call the 'upper hand' is anthropomorphism-that's how humans think! If not innate survival behaviours (flight response) horse behaviours are a learnt response taught by us! Submission simply means instant response to aids (under stimulus control) without resistence. Your thinking is uneducated!

[jjclimb69]

@Walnut28Comms:Your comments belong to a by-gone era! You're imbuing the horse with characteristics they dont have & cant be compared to humans-they cant reason (needed if gaining the upper hand) Horses learn throught operant /classical conditioning which 'shape' & produce specific responses in the horse. Horses learn after 3-5 repititions but FEAR (thrown to floor) goes straight to long term memory & is hard to extinguish as a learnt response. It stops the horse learning what we really want.

[HaflingerAddiction]

Anky uses hyperflexion at it's worst - Behind the scenes... Very poor horsemanship. - In my opinion at least - Besides I think there are far better riders than she... But then again politics and major rear end kissing will get your far. Ugh.

[MsFinety]

European dressage still stays the best...

->isabell werth

[sarah2108]

@MsFinety No the best dressage riders in the whole world are Bent Branderup, Philippe Karl and Anja Beran ;)

[Walnut28Comms]

@MsFinety Isabell Werth was sponsored by the USDF to give an instructor's clinic in the last year. She caused a huge controversy due to her use of LDR, because it puts the horse's poll low, and his face behind the vertical (though the rein is loose, and the horse is not being forced at all). But we obsess with the frame in the U.S., and some people w/ less experience are in danger of dictating ignorant rules and regulations to people who sometimes know a lot more. DICTATING training methods!

[elijahpark08]

Anky blocks the worst of her hyperflexion from public view. Her lack of sportsmanship speaks loudly on its own. Winning is all that matters apparently. Any horse that is doing this 'naturally' is trying to tell its rider something, and has learned to try to hide in this position.

[karmelova]

It horses aggrieve progress (proceed) so Anky rollkurem because thoughts, that there is good but it is bad! Should ban for errors rollkuru.Przepraszam but I am from poland

[karmelova]

It horses aggrieve progress (proceed) so Anky rollkurem because thoughts, that there is good but it is bad! Should ban for errors rollkuru.Sorry but I am from poland

[N1CH00L3]

Her rollkur is not even as severe as some people, atleast the horse isnt staring at the firggin ground sniffing its chest it can look up.

[TheLittleLJ]

Isn't the worst Rollkur i've see her produce. But still her training methods are cruel and un called forin my opinion.

[astoria791]

ANKY SUCKS

[ItsMe490]

FEI BANNED ROLLKUR TODAY! Banned in all disciplines and put under penalty! Now our next aim should be to stop the show-dressage trend and return to relaxed and psychologically strong horses not broken ones! Don't stop the fight now!

[jennrummy]

Yes - Rollkur for Anky! She needs to be tortured the same way she tortures her horses! And the judges who reward her need to get an education and grow some balls and shack up the corrupt European system!!

[rollaway55]

This is the best? Give me a break Judges and trainers.

[ThexMinE]

sry i ve push the wrong button :( of course you are right !!

[bibelbotth]

She is unnormal creature who is not supposed to be a rider!! I hope that she will have an accident with her neck and wears rollkur to the end of her days suffering in the same way thar she is doing it to horses!!!!

[XxTheNewGenerationxX]

Score wise ,no, but opinion wise there can be several million better. And by the way, Isabel Werth is better. ^^

[mryoshiieee]

i really dont like her. but that wasnt too bad. her horse was bang on the vertical with like a second of rollkur. i just dont like the way she trains her horses.

[1010nicole1010]

wow! that is dancing with horses. if only my mare could move like this. this horse must feel like riding clouds, it looks comfortable to sit. i would like to ride it only once just for having this feeling :-)

[RidingHoney]

Ich auch nicht!

[12vi14194]

EEENGLIIIIISHH

[12vi14194]

ENGLISH IDIOT

[fionafenty88]

watch at 0.12! the way the horse littlerally snaps behind the virtcle into rolkur. how the hell does this woman train??? oh and its hind quarters looks bloody awful. amazing rider.. my ass

[bizzybijtje]

That's not rollkur....

[12vi14194]

You cant 'snap' in rolkur..

rolkur is a riding style.. not a thing that you can do in a second..

[fionafenty88]

i did not mean that it does. it looks like it does. just drops WAY behind the virticle. and rolkur is not a style of riding. its a technique used to make the horse very supple but anky uses it for very long periods of time when it is ment to be used for litterally seconds followed by a stretch. she does not which is not good for the horse.. or its training. as anyone can see here! but so sorry for offending you :-/

[elliexena]

im sure any1 leaning70 kgs or so on a double bridle can do tht in a couple of minits

[Wachiiee]

he snorted >_>

you can hear him go prrrff.

[fionafenty88]

oh right :) fair enough. im at work and got my sound off. ill let her off then! but she's still pap.

[Wachiiee]

lol mhm ^_^

but i do agree with you that rolkur shouldnt be used for long periods of time. my horsey naturally does it, which is actually kind of annoying coz if you bring her head up, somehow she manages to make it disapear again =P it just means i let her stretch out more. but youd think that anky, being a top dressage rider, would know the limits of her horses.. and wouldnt make them work for so long D;

though i have to say, anky isnt the worst ive seen. =\

[fionafenty88]

yeah i totally agree! there are much worse videos on here of other people! and my horse is the sme as yours! got her from germany so dont know if she was trained that way a little :S ..? but think she has the idea now that head does not need to be touching chest!

[painthorselover14023]

Anky is a GOD

[NineLiebtTino]

If you think that, you must be blind, or a real idi...t.

[painthorselover14023]

Wow dude way to be rude. What you people are missing is the suppleness of the horse and his total ability to bend and flex that way. She trained him and conditioned him over a long period of time. That's why he "snapped" into collection like that. He knowes EXACTLY what his rider wants and he is giving it to her. That horse is softer than anything you have ever ridden or could ever hope to ride. Stop bashing people on youtube and go out... Maybe you'd learn something.

[Walnut28Comms]

@painthorselover14023  well said.

[jojohannalou]

i don't really understand why such a great rider must "roll" her horses.

i am sure she can ride without rollkur.

that can't be a good rider-horse friendship. ever girl who rides a shoolhorse can better work with horses than anky, because anky knows nothing about love and beeing a team.

sorry for my bad english, iam from germany.

[inwe1205]

@jojohannalou Your english is good enough to make your point clear! Which I totally support btw ;)

[Littlekat909]

Look at the back side trailing along!

please

sign the rollkur petition on my channel

stop horses suffering!

[merager]

I noticed that too. The horse's hind end is just dragging along.

[OTTTB]

She is so good with her horses.

[OTTTB]

haha

[MalibuSaufa]

ohhohoo bei 26 sekunde sieht man das er sich voll in die schulter beißt! ich hasse diese frau die rollkur königin kann man se scha fast nenne! ein pferdefreund sieht anders aus!

[Zanthra101]

hate her. hate her with a passion

[TerrorEngelAuf4Hufen]

I hate her

She isn't a friend of her horses

[bibibananna]

i hate her.

[lalalashea89]

Despite what some people are saying, Anky is NOT doing Rollkur in this video. Just because a horse goes behind the vertical for a stride or two does not mean that the rider is keeping its' head down. Anky wouldn't do this in competition anyways, it's NOT rewarded. And did anyone ever think about the fact that some horses do this during work by THEMSELVES because they don't want to engage the hind end or have true self carriage?!?! Yes people, horses will assume this position on their own.

[fleur4198]

No. Without rider and bit - never .

[Karyn64]

Only to bite at flies or an itch on their chest.

[movinon5]

I own a horse who carriers her head behind the vertical line by herself .

Oooo I must be abusing her ...

*Sighs*

[WildStaillion309]

u dont know if u r or not cause some do that on there own , and some beacause of the bit

[carpediemmofo]

My horse does the same thing. He's young and doesn't quite understand how to use his hind properly and accept contact appropriatly (is that how you spell it? lol). We're working on it but it happens quite often that OMG his head ends up behind the vertical.

P.S my horse loves me

[UnicornWithout]

*__* wow

[xyzJackBlackzyx]

the way anky wins makes the competition unfair. Other riders that are good without ruining their horses are more often badly valued for not using rollkur! The way she's training here horses says everything. Riding and especially dressage isn't about heaving sucess and winning everything. It's about the connection with the horse and its will to do those things with you as rider! I don't believe ankys horses love to work like this!

[Starlightofnight]

They don't have dressage--Anky was simply doing a freestyle demonstration.

[Littlekat909]

someone please shot her, the only reason she's within sniffing distance of the top is because of her wealth and her perfect art of BULLYING horses into overbending i don't think she quite grasps the idea of dressage ! someone said about showjumpers freeze gel has been banned and this is just as bad as that !!

[Walnut28Comms]

@Littlekat909 YOu cannot bully those warmbloods. Esp. a woman. I owned one, competed upper level. Don't begin to talk about things until you try it yourself. Until/unless he got his engine running, he was a tank/plug. Once you got his engine started, he could become explosive -- double bridle or snaffle. He always LOVED extensions. but true collection took a lot of strengthening of his HQ, and he could easily explode if you didn't do it just right.

[countrygalGem10101]

omg you got to see anky!??

i am so jelous! she my favorite dressage rider!

[aosics]

Before you bash ankie maybe you should watch this video again. Simply for the fact that the horse may have been behind the bit for oh... maybe a stride or two and maybe its because a fly was bothering the horse or it was itchy because of the sweat. I have studied this video over and over again to see weather or not she asked the horse to go behind the bridle and all i see are steady hands. so before we are all first to judge maybe we should be reminded that she is a pro.

[Giv92]

yeah you're right, he even bites to his chest, as if somethings bodering him, like a fly.. and for the rest of the video, his head is quite high, so it seems to me that she's doing nothing wrong...

[moridusu]

I agree and when the horse did go behind the bit she softened her hands straight away and put them foward to encourage the horse to come onto the bit properly.

[Walnut28Comms]

@aosics TOTALLY AGREE!. if you watch the "release," Anky's horse stretches the rein down.

[cathrynxox]

ick i can't stand anky.

[kbowmanphoto]

Dressagedude you are missing the whole point here! If you have to torture your horse in order to "win" medals and "up" your level that you are a disgrace to the sport!!! It is obvious by your last comment that you care nothing about the wellbeing of the horse - just "winning" - THAT MAKES YOU DISGUSTING! You should be banned from ever touching a horse much less competing!

[dressagedude]

i agree with bcbeaupied! I'm going to train with anky this summer and it pisses me off that people talk crap about her. well paschida if u can do so much better than anky why the hell don't we see your 2nd level ass up there??? huh yeah thats right when u win the world cup and the olympics for dressage u come talk to me oh wait u wont be able to cuz ill be riding with anky and making my way to the olympic podium and forgetting about your amateur ass!

[thecrazydolls]

if paschinda's horse goes happily, without pain, then yes, they are doing better than anky. My horse is the same. being "world champion" and winning medals does not make you the best and does not even matter to a lot of people. You however, are just going to become another by product of the european horse training machine, another robot without respect or feeling for their mount, only intent on learning the method's required to become "great". How very sad.

[Jaccko14]

hahaha i absolutly agree dressagedude. Couldnt agree more. It makes me sick the way people talk about anky, if only they could understand! I say live and let live. Anky has achieved the most, shes the best at the sport, shes captured the dressage world for years, and thats the honest truth, people need to get over that and accept it.

[123Whiskey]

your joking rite?... yeah sure shes the best but at what cost? have you seen her metho of rollkur? i'm sure you have and its discusting and cruel don't even try to say that its not. have you ever seen a horse in a field in that position? NO because it HURTS THEM! thats what you people need to understand look past the medals and treat your horses with respect!

[paschida]

buuuu..buuuuu... damn you anky... there's no elegance or even happiness to see....

[knhorsegirl]

Oh shut up, like you could do any better!

[paschida]

haha :D oh yes i can do better.. just the fact that my horse doesnt have any anger when i'm riding it.. or pain... you don't know anything about dressage riding...

[bcbeaupied]

neither do her horses. if they did they wouldnt perform the way they do for her.

[thyljia]

seriously, with a bit like that, and the spurs she's using...

ever heard of rollkur and learned helplessness?

[bcbeaupied]

Yes, I know of it very well. Every upper level dressage horse is required to have a double bridle. There is no choice in the matter. And every upper level rider uses spurs. I use spurs, and so do my trainers and everybody else I know uses them. They are used to give cues, not to jab into the horse. Do you see any scars on her horses sides? No, you dont because there arent any. Its not fair for half the youtube world to gang up on just Anky. What abot the other 90% of Olympic riders? Jumpers too.

[thyljia]

they're not much better, worse probably. but they don't advertise featherlight riding as much as she does either.

[bcbeaupied]

She doesnt advertise anything. Shes not the one who puts all these videos up. Actually, she knows that it doesnt cause them pain. Thats why shes straight up about it. The people who try and cover their training methods up are the ones you have to worry about.

[Walnut28Comms]

@thyljia I finally put the double bridle back on my little NSH mare (who is light as a feather), to prepare for a PSG competition. She is VERY happy to have her double bridle back, as I can be so very, very light and subtle. The bridoon signals the horse to raise his head, and the curb signals him to drop his nose and/or soften his jaw. With just a HINT of hand. An untrained horse is not ready for a double bridle unless he leans heavily on the hand and his rider doesn't know how to correct.

[Walnut28Comms]

@thyljia you must truly ride an upper level horse...in full collection...to understand how the double bridle works. My horse is actually happier w/ the dB AND my spurs as they allow me to be EXCEPTIONALLY light and clear. the DB is subtle. I had a huge warmblood. If he got angry at me, no double bridle had any effect....he was quite capable of dumping me. Regarding hyperflexion, I do encourage you to look at my bareback dressage video on YouTube. Everyone should test their horses bareback.

[thyljia]

@Walnut28Comms it's not the bit that bugs me, it's a tool and if you know how to use it lightly and subtly and your horse is happy with it, that's perfectly fine. But rollkur or hyperflexion or LDR or whatever you want to call it has absolutely nothing to do with lightness or the "happy athlete" the judges want to see in a competition. It's a forced position of the head that blocks the back, the entire front of the horse etc. and is so counterproductive in order to get to a real collection.

[Teesuechtige]

die kann ihr pferd nichtmal untertreten lassen. pfui

[Walnut28Comms]

@Teesuechtige The NSH mare i mentioned flunked 3 out of 4 flexion tests at age 12, having just been a trail horse. I suspected a sore back, but passed on buying her. She is pretty, so my GF picked her cheap, as a pet and trail horse. But I was her 'trainer' and worked the mare mostly LDR for 6 months, after which she passed all 4 flexion tests and went to FEI in record time. At 22 she is better than ever, and I'm debuting her at PSG in her first recognized show in 2 weeks. Wish us luck.

[Jaccko14]

nelson is beautiful!