Monday: catch up on the rollkur debate

Epona TV has a wonderful article up titled Rollkur Round-Up: Fact and Fiction. Julie Taylor and Luise Thomsen look point by point at the FEI's 2006 investigation of rollkur and break it down showing what research was done, how it was done, and what it actually revealed. This is a very good look at what is being cited as "the evidence" that rollkur does no harm. And how flawed that conclusion actually is.

Over the weekend a number of links were posted that indicate clearly that Patrik Kittel's use of rollkur and harsh techniques was not a momentary lapse in Odense that just happened to get captured on video.

On September 19, 2008, THIS appeared on St. Georg Magazine's blog. I have provided a translation below:

Scandic, which means something like Scandinavian. And the name fits the chestnut, who starts at the CHI in Donauschingen in the mediacup of the up and coming Grand Prix horses. It fits, because the Swedish rider Patrick Kittel is a Scandinavian, it also matches the temperatures however, which reign in the palace park o...f the Duke of Donauschingen. In the morning it is bittercold and the thermometer barely reaches freezing point. However the kind of training which is meted out to the chestnut by Kittel lets the blood freeze in the veins of the spectators: Head pulled down to the chest. Always properly tight and hard (!!) "positioned" to the left and to the right. Until the chestnut puts the emergency brakes on. He must have bitten on his own tongue, at least the blood was dripping from his mouth. No steward was present, who could have noticed. Only when the flow of blood was not to be stopped, even after the groom had routinely mopped the horse’s mouth a second time, did Kittel stop!

There was also a link to a photo of Kittel riding Scandic in a double bridle with a dropped noseband that was so tight the horse looked as if he were gagging and choking. Unfortunately I cannot provide you with the link because the photo has now been removed.

But someone captured it:

http://picasaweb.google.com/paci.hu/InternationalenWiesbadenerPfingstTurnier200905290601?feat=comment_notification#5344294266374100754

A quick google search just turned up THIS:


Patrik Kittel in trouble

A video on You Tube about Swedish team rider Patrik Kittel has shocked the dressage world. The fragment shows Kittel losing his stallion Watermill Scandic in Odense in Denmark in a low frame. The moment Patrik realizes that the horse’s tongue is out, he stops and pushes the tongue back. The flood of negative reactions forced FEI dressage director Trond Asmyr and FEI Executive Director sports David Holmes make an official statement prior to their lectures at the Global Dressage Forum in The Netherlands last Monday that the FEI will investigate the incident.
Meanwhile Kittel is shell shocked by the flood of negative reactions, although the tone in Sweden has mellowed. Watermill Scandic is owned by Dutch team veterinarian Jan Greve who says, “Patrik Kittel has a perfect relationship to Scandic and the situation that has arisen now is absolutely overdone. Yes, the tongue has been out for a short while. This can happen. But nothing harmful has been done.”
The British Riding Association has urged the FEI to start a more thorough discussion about hyperflexion. Other countries will probably follow Britain.


Interestingly, there was also the following:

In Lyon this happened to Edward Gal. On Thursday the competition had started in a very disappointing way for the runner up of Odense. Sisther de Jeu had only moments before entering the ring for the Grand Prix bitten her lip, causing a small wound that started to bleed. The bleeding was stopped quickly. The sympathetic officials even allowed Gal to take the mare to the stable for a while and return later for a new start. He and his trainer Nicole Werner however, decided to let that chance go by. “Everything was alright, but we considered the risk that Sisther might bite her lip again during the test, to be too high. It’s a shame of the 600 mile ride to Lyon, but so be it”, Edward Gal said.

Edward Gal also uses rollkur and I'm finding it slightly horrifying that we are seeing horses biting their tongues and lips to the point of blood flow that actually inhibits the ride. And more importantly, does not seem to be necessitating any adjustment of the bits/bridles!

If you have time to write new emails and/or letters to the FEI, please include these examples as evidence that something is seriously wrong in this sport.

update on the anti-rollkur 'campaign' front

It's been a busy week and many, many people have been working hard to educate themselves on this issue, take action, and keep the issue alive as the FEI continues its investigation.

Richard Johnson, Director of Communications for the FEI, posted on Facebook this morning:

Official Statement from FEI

As previously announced, the FEI is conducting an investigation into the events in the Odense warm-up arena. Such procedures always take time as it is important that they are done in a thorough and fair way. The FEI is aware of the high-level of interest in the issues raised in the video and... the subsequent online debate and would like to thank everyone who has contacted us for their feedback. We understand the concern and we will make the findings of the investigation public as soon as we are in a position to do so.

The FEI is also giving the issue of Rollkür special attention. This topic has been put on the agenda of the FEI Bureau meeting, which is taking place on 15 November in Copenhagen. Important developments will be announced as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, LVM Insurance company will "most probably" stop sponsoring Patrik Kittel due to the many letters and emails protesting. They did ask him for a statement but say as well that he is "on very thin ice"...

Read HERE.

We all need to remember that Patrik is not the only rider out there utilizing rollkur, and while the video that jump-started this movement at this time featured him, we need to extend the circle to include other top riders and trainers who promote this technique.

If you've written to the FEI, thank you! While we wait for them to do their job, find sponsors who support riders and trainers using rollkur and let them know how you feel about that.


ADDED IN AS I JUST COULDN'T RESIST, from the Facebook Blue Tongue group:

OK, I am ready with the first list of sponsors and form letter. As stated before, use it any way you want, as inspiration, in part or all of it, but be sure to personalize it, (add your own comments and of course name) date it and add your country. I am relatively inept on the computer, so if there is a better way to p...ost this, do let me know. Most of these are links to a contact page, no emails were available, so copy/paste in address bar and go from there. Ladies and gentlemen, start your keyboards :-) here we go.

Drumroll, please - let's go for the gold, shall we? We start with - Anky.

Anky van Grunsven Sponsors

Van Grunsven Groep

info@grunsvengroep.nl

Cavalor cavaloramerica@cavalor.com

For dutch contact, go to http://www.cavalor.com/contact.php

Volkswagen http://www.volkswagencampers.nl/contact/volkswagen-klantenservice/contact.html

Gazelle http://www.gazelle.nl/nl/service/stel-uw-vraag.html

IPS http://www.ipshorsegroup.nl/en/contact

Rabobank https://www.perscentrumrabobank.com/contactform

NOC-NSF http://www.noc-nsf.nl/cms/showpage.aspx?id=958 MAN http://www.man-mn.nl/nl/contact.jsp

(I can't take the time right now to make those all embedded links - but hopefully you can cut and paste for now - billie)


In an exciting announcement, Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling will be doing a live teleseminar speaking to this issue and responding to the video. This will happen on November 15th, the same day that the FEI Bureau meeting described above will be held.

Go HERE to register.

This is an opportunity to "vote" by registering and supporting a rider and trainer who is openly speaking out against rollkur. And it's free!

Dressage Disgrace, the site hosting the teleseminar, is a great way to stay up to date on what's going on. Support them by joining and by commenting.


And finally, I'd like to remind myself and all of us that as we look at and evaluate riders and trainers who are out there in the public eye, competing and being videotaped, we must also look to our own backyards and barns and arenas to evaluate our own riding, training, and horsemanship, as well as the lifestyle we are providing for our own horses.

Are we interacting with our equines with kindness, consistency, and clarity?

Are we staying active on the journey to better horsemanship? (in my opinion this journey never ends)

Are our own horses happy in mind, body, and spirit?

I've had a head cold all week so it's been easier than usual to spend so much time on this issue. (and on the computer!)

And I'm not done! But I'm taking the weekend off to relax with horses and family, enjoy the sudden drop in temps we had last night (we had to bring the porch plants in!) and celebrate my favorite time of year.

I may put up a few photos as the weekend rolls on, but otherwise, see you on Monday!

we're all connected

The world is a huge place, and I think we all feel the distance on a daily basis when we read and see footage of war-torn countries, countries reeling with poverty, and moments later, lavish wealth in others.

It's easy to think our personal causes are futile, and our contributions limited. How much can one person really DO?

The world is big, too many people have to act to make big change happen, even if I act I don't see a difference.

I remembered over the past few days something I used to struggle with when I worked with abused and neglected children, many of whom had parents' whose rights had been terminated, which put these children in the custody and care of departments of social services. The children had therapists, case managers, teachers, houseparents, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and more, and even so, it sometimes felt like they had no one, because as hard as this team of people worked, they couldn't always provide exactly what the children needed at the exact moment they needed it.

There is a clear memory in my head of a day I sat in a clinical supervisor's office bemoaning how futile it was. I can see the light falling in through the window behind her head and her very curly long hair silhouetted as she said one sentence: "We're all connected. You do your part and trust that it links up to the next person's part."

I immediately had the image of a ladder, or a bridge, and the accompanying notion that my part was not building the entire ladder, nor was it to build the entire bridge. My part was to put my rung in place, or my plank on the bridge. As long as I kept doing that, and everyone else kept doing that, and we all filled in when needed if someone couldn't do their one part, the bigger structure would get built.

This week I decided my plank in the rollkur bridge is to write an article.

In the past 48 hours I have been in contact with Paul Belasik, Gerd Heuschmann, Sylvia Loch, and now Pepper Ballard of the Humane Society of the United States.

I have no connections to these people, except that of course, I DO.

I have audited Paul's clinics several times and love his beautifully written books. I have read Gerd Heuschmann's book and articles, and felt relief that someone with a degree in veterinary medicine is taking the issue on in such a big, important way. I was thrilled to discover Sylvia's writing and her classical riding group that is and has been for a long while so active in working on this issue. This week I have been reading daily about the Humane Society's work in shutting down an abusive veal processing plant.

And although I write a lot about zen and the peace and calm of my quiet little corner of this big wide world, I also know the power of this thing called the internet, and a more subtle power that we all have but don't always remember:

we are all connected.

(photo credit to dear husband - I used this a few weeks ago but it's so perfect for this post I had to use it again!)

respite care for equine advocates (and actually all of us)

This morning I went out to the barn to get my head clear and my focus back. After years spent working on the front lines with traumatized children and families, I know how important it is to take care of oneself while doing high-stress work.

Even writing a small series of blog posts about rollkur and opening up images of other equine issues (soring of gaited horses, tying down in various western disciplines, etc.) can lead to feelings of overwhelm and powerlessness. Folks who do this kind of investigatory work on a regular basis have to replenish their wells just as regularly.

While at the barn I purposely slowed myself down. Keil Bay can deal with a certain amount of my zen-like approach to making breakfast, but if I start slowing down my already slow pace, he is pretty good at ramping me back up. Fortunately my husband fed breakfast this morning, so my work was making a long, rambling trail of hay through the front field.

It starts with me and the wheelbarrow piled as high as my head. The herd falls in behind me and we make our way through the field as I toss out hay in very small piles. Today it was especially quiet out. When I stopped moving it was so quiet it almost felt like someone had turned down the volume of the neighborhood. I walked back up the hill and spent a few moments with each horse and donkey, just being still.

I scrubbed and refilled three water troughs, which took awhile. I opted not to try and do other chores while the troughs filled, but to stand and soak in some sunshine, breathe in the air, and listen to the sound of the water splashing.

Hopefully all the people working hard for animals of all kinds, including we human ones, can find some time to take a break, refuel, and go back to work with renewed energy and calm.

I think we all do better when we take time to watch the water run.

(photo credit to my dear husband)

Rollkur 101: What You Need to Know to Take a Stand

Rollkur is seen in training and warm-up rings around the world as dressage riders (and riders in other disciplines as well) prepare for competition. A recent Epona TV video of a horse being ridden in a World Cup Qualifier warm-up in Odense, Denmark has brought riders, trainers, and equine enthusiasts of all kinds together in protest. Heather Moffett’s Blue Tongue Group on Facebook attracted 2600+ members in less than one week, and two anti-rollkur petitions online boast over 5000 signatures.


What is Rollkur?

Rollkur, or hyperflexion of the horse’s neck, is defined by the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale, the international governing body for all Olympic equestrian disciplines) as:

a technique of working/training used to provide a degree of longitudinal flexion of the mid-region of the neck. Hyperflexion cannot be self-maintained by the horse for an extended period of time.

In everyday terms, this exercise uses reins and pressure from the bit to pull the horse’s nose to its chest, thus over-bending the neck.


Why is it an issue?

Rollkur utilizes force to pull the horse’s head down to its chest. In this position the horse cannot see in front of itself, its breathing is impaired, and many experts and professionals believe rollkur may damage the horse both physically and psychologically. Ridden this way, the horse’s natural dynamic movement is lost, and classical dressage movement, as defined by the FEI’s own standards, becomes impossible.

If rollkur is so terrible why are riders using the technique winning at the upper levels of the sport?

Ask the FEI. The following is excerpted from the FEI Rules available to anyone as a downloadable PDF from their website. Read and compare to the Epona TV video. Search for online videos of winning FEI riders for the past few years and compare what’s being rewarded with the actual written standards.

Chapter I Dressage
Article 401 OBJECT AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF DRESSAGE
The object of dressage is the development of the horse into a happy athlete
through harmonious education. As a result, it makes the horse calm, supple,
loose and flexible, but also confident, attentive and keen, thus achieving perfect
understanding with the rider.

These qualities are revealed by:
• The freedom and regularity of the paces.
• The harmony, lightness and ease of the movements.
• The lightness of the forehand and the engagement of the
hindquarters, originating from a lively impulsion.
• The acceptance of the bit, with submissiveness/throughness
(Durchlässigkeit) without any tension or resistance.

2. The horse thus gives the impression of doing, of its own accord, what is
required. Confident and attentive, submitting generously to the control of the
athlete, remaining absolutely straight in any movement on a straight line and
bending accordingly when moving on curved lines.

3. The walk is regular, free and unconstrained. The trot is free, supple, regular
and active. The canter is united, light and balanced. The hindquarters are
never inactive or sluggish. The horse responds to the slightest indication of the
athlete and thereby gives life and spirit to all the rest of its body.

4. By virtue of a lively impulsion and the suppleness of the joints, free from the
paralysing effects of resistance, the horse obeys willingly and without hesitation
and responds to the various aids calmly and with precision, displaying a natural
and harmonious balance both physically and mentally.

5. In all the work, even at the halt, the horse must be “on the bit”. A horse is
said to be “on the bit” when the neck is more or less raised and arched
according to the stage of training and the extension or collection of the pace,
accepting the bridle with a light and consistent soft submissive contact. The
head should remain in a steady position, as a rule slightly in front of the
vertical, with a supple poll as the highest point of the neck, and no resistance
should be offered to the athlete.

6. Cadence is shown in trot and canter and is the result of the proper harmony
that a horse shows when it moves with well-marked regularity, impulsion and
balance. Cadence must be maintained in all the different trot or canter
exercises and in all the variations of these paces.

7. The regularity of the paces is fundamental to dressage.


Why is this important now?

Rollkur is not new. After Dutch Olympic dressage champion Anky Van Grunsven was videotaped in a warmup arena riding her horse using this method and created a public outcry, the FEI met with a panel of world-class biomechanics and equine anatomy experts in Switzerland on January 31, 2006.

The FEI concluded that there was no evidence that rollkur causes direct harm to the horse when used in the right way by expert riders. They did add, however, that it could cause harm if used incorrectly by inexperienced riders and that hyperflexion cannot be self-maintained by the horse for an extended period of time.

The controversy surrounding rollkur rekindled recently when Epona TV published a video of dressage rider Patrik Kittel riding his stallion Scandic in a World Cup Qualifier in Denmark. The video showed Scandic’s discolored, limp, tongue hanging out of his mouth. The video has created a global outcry. Groups have been formed and petitions are being signed protesting the use of this controversial method and demanding investigation and action by the FEI.


What you can do to help:

Join Heather Moffett’s Blue Tongue Facebook Group for up to the minute updates.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=181093975134&ref=mf

Help get the word out. Put links on your blogs and web pages educating your readers about this issue. YOU MAY REPRINT THIS ARTICLE IN FULL OR TAKE THE LINKS PROVIDED.

Sign the existing petitions.

BAN USAGE OF ROLLKUR

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ban-rollkur

REQUEST FEI TO BAN HYPERFLEXION IN COMPETITION

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/antiHF/

Write directly to the FEI.

FEI Dressage Task Force Members and all contact info HERE.

http://camera-obscura-billie.blogspot.com/2009/10/fei-dressage-task-force-committee.html

Write to your equine associations and ask them to take a stand.

Write to the sponsors of the World Equestrian Games to be held in Kentucky in 2010. Tell them you want to see happy horses (in all disciplines) ridden and warmed up humanely.

http://www.alltechfeigames.com/

Support riders and trainers who ride and train without using rollkur.

(if you are a rider or trainer who would like to be listed here, let me know in the comment section and I will add your name and brief bio with link)

Support companies who sponsor these humane riders and trainers.

(if you are a company who sponsors riders and trainers who do NOT utilize rollkur and would like to be listed here, let me know in the comment section and I will add your name and brief bio with link)