Rollkur

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Rollkur [1][2], now officially known as "hyperflexion of the neck," is a highly controversial training technique used by some dressage riders today. It was, and is still, used in other equestrian disciplines, most notably show jumping, before being adopted by some well-known dressage riders. However, it is not an old theory in dressage, either: Francois Baucher trained a similar method, although he did all his severe flexing at the halt, and in addition he connected the posture of the hind legs to the mix.

In dressage training, the rider can choose to make the horse work for periods with its neck lowered and its head behind the vertical, for various beneficial reasons, such as suppling, relaxing, and stretching the horse, yet rollkur takes this flexion to the extreme. In rollkur, the horse is asked to lower his head and round its neck as it works--working "deep"--so that the head is coming inward. In the extreme, the horse's mouth touches the middle of his chest. Rollkur is not a quick movement lasting a few seconds, but is held for a length of time, through work at the walk, trot, and canter, including shortening and extension of the gaits. Rollkur is not just longitudinal flexion (nose to chest or forelegs), but accompanied with repeated bending to the rider's leg.

Some riders who use rollkur accomplish the head position by lowering and fixing the hands until the horse yields its jaw backwards in response to the pressure on the bit. This technique (pulling in) goes against all classical riding. In classical dressage, the horse accepts the bit and the horse decides to come down with its head because it trusts the hands of the rider. In good companionship, it is possible to asks the horse to go a little deeper than the animal would do itself (until, eventually, rollkur is established).

[edit] Advantages of Rollkur

Riders who practice rollkur advocate its use as a stretch of the top-line and a suppling exercise. They point to leading riders who apply this technique and have consistent winning scores in the arena as proof that the technique works. They further suggest that the process of working deep is meant to stretch and supple the back.^{[citation needed]}

Advocates claim that top riders do not "pull" the horses head in. They note that the horse can move its head up into the classical position at any moment. If any horse will not lift up its head at the moment the riders asks this, the horse is considered to be behind the bit.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Disadvantages of Rollkur

Those who disagree with rollkur says it goes against the principles of classical dressage and the (written) rules of the FEI. This includes the fact that the horse is physically behind the vertical. This makes it difficult to check if the horse is correctly accepting the bit. Also: impulsion and thoroughness may be lost due to a stiff back. This can easily occur when the hand of the rider is not gently asking the horse to come low (but pulling in) - and/ or the horse is not accepting the hand, but bending in an attempt to flee or evade the hand. A pure disadvantage is that the horse is encouraged to bring its point of gravity towards the forehand.

There is also a great debate as to whether rollkur constitutes animal abuse, both physically due to the held over-flexed position, and mentally due to forced submission. Given that a similar practice is longstanding and routinely seen with the use of draw reins in schooling horses for events such as western pleasure, where it is close to being a universal practice (though also controversial in some circles), the debate has major ramifications across different disciplines.