'Overbending' of Horses
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
The final report of the FEI's welfare workshop on the use of over-bending (“rollkür”) has been published on the FEI website. The practice of rollkür — riding the horse overbent from the wither along the poll — came under scrutiny at the workshop held in Lausanne, Switzerland last month. But research presented at the meeting by leading dressage riders and veterinary surgeons showed that the practice is not inherently abusive to horses.
However vets, scientists and equestrians agreed that more scientific research is needed to fully establish the impact of rollkür on a horse's physical or psychological well-being. It was also suggested that the term “hyperflexion” should replace “rollkür”, as it does not have negative connotations.
The FEI is also aiming to educate Stewards to identify possible abuse within the Show Jumping and Eventing worlds.
Full details can be found at: http://www.horsesport.org/PDFS/D/05_04/Workshop%20Report%20Final.pdf
