Warming up or breaking down? Part one

EPONA.tv continues to question the training practices in professional equestrian sport. In the next couple of days we put forward more footage of international riders preparing their horses for competition, showing that rollkur is only part of a larger issue. Horses are routinely subjected to relentless pressure from inconsistently applied aids, forced into extreme positions and pushed beyond their physical and mental capacity.


This footage was obtained in 2009 using visible recording equipment and filmed in areas open to public access. The footage is copyrighted EPONA.tv 2009.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• hyperfleksion
• rollkur
• ldr
• low
• deep
• and
• round
• dressage
• jumping

[pattywagon2015]

@HuckleberryKae You are insane. Horses clearly do not enjoy having their noses pulled into their chests. It is completely unatural nevermind abusive.

[coucouper1]

@MetalSiicken It's not just the rollkur that's the problem. It's the harsh hands on the curb, it's the relentless kicking with the spurs, it's the horrible pulling on the horse's most sensitive part of the mouth (the tonge and the bars), it's the fact that people are CLUELESS about what they are looking at. These horses are abused, their gaits are totally false and their riders are unaware and unwilling to see what they are doing. This is no way to ride a horse. Where's the lightness and ease?!

[callayndanae]

@Boese23 I really wish you wouldn't basely judge the entire community of western riders based on what you have seen some people do. I know that all dressage riders do not practice rollkur or treat their horses as extremely as some of these in the video have demonstrated, so I could only hope you would be sensible enough to not stereotype an entire discipline on what you have seen SOME people do.

[Boese23]

If you really think dressage is bad, you should see western riding. This is nothing compared to that..

[jimmybee49]

What arrogant vanity to believe that this is good for the horse, it's all about the human, no thoughts for the horse's comfort or natural movement.

[timwaagmeester1987]

@Glykyrrhiza So please stop..you are never gone ride like this!!

[1010nicole1010]

@Glykyrrhiza no sarcasm. you can see the horsebacks swinging. i have never seen a horse showing passage that was ridden with long reins. because long reins mean short back and a short back is a sore back. think about this before judging other riders. but i agree, that some of the horses were overflexed which i don't like.

[Glykyrrhiza]

The day I strive to do this to my horse is the day I stop riding.

[Glykyrrhiza]

@1010nicole1010 Is that sarcasm?

[Jordhesten]

auch.... try to put your head back like that! It fucking hurts!! Try to have a bit in your mouth and pull hard as possible, not nice huh?

Sad that we cant see it we think it's beautiful but this should be a crime i think! Pour little animal...