Dressage Disgrace
04. Nov, 2009 
10 Comments
To learn what hyperflexion does to a horse, physiologically, emotionally, and developmentally, visit Dressage Disgrace.com, read all about it, and if so moved, sign the petition to request that the FEI ban hyperflexion in competition. This site has a lot of interesting articles. Thanks to Shoshin for pointing it out!
As I have said before, (hopefully not ad nauseum), rather than stridently protest something we think is wrong, let’s be active in showing those whose methods offend our sense of horsemanship a different way.
I welcome responses that demonstrate different ways of achieving flexion at the poll and the self-carriage so desired in dressage.
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The thing that sums it up for me is that you must first be what you wish to achieve. If you desire lightness and softness in your horse, then you must first be that yourself, and must offer lightness and softness in your hand, leg and seat.
Hyperflexion has nothing to do with softness, it has to do with fear, pain and restriction.
I already signed the petition and am totally disgusted with this practice. These monsters have no respect for their mounts.
Yet it is an accepted practice and those who use it are adored as equestrian stars.
Their idea of respect and our idea of respect are different, I’ll give you that!
Lisa
So beautifully put. May I refer to your comments if I write about this elsewhere?
You make me thin of the Gandhi quote:
“You must bee the change you wish to see in the world.”
I’ve been hearing a lot about this lately. Lisa hit it on the nose – you can’t achieve softness when you’re clamped down on your horse’s face. My biggest disappointment (perhaps naievely) is that these riders are being allowed to get away with this at major events AND are being rewarded for it. It makes you wonder how things get so far out of control…..
Who on earth is that idiot rider!? No one should be using a double bridle, with such lack of finesse. There is no excuse for such a steady, excessive pressure on the curb bit, ever! Not only does this rider lack good hands, but has no clue that the whole point of dressage is self-carriage with flexion at the poll, which is not obtained by such an overbent, and flexed at crest head position. Sheesh, no wonder Walter Zettl said, a few years ago at a clinic of his I attended ‘I cannot watch dressage competitions; I cannot bear to see what is done to those poor horses’.
Jeanie
If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were my friend Caroline! Your response made me laugh and cry at the same time. You don’t waste any time getting straight to the point, and you make a fine one. Idiot rider, indeed. So sad. The whole thing is a sob-inducing mess.
Michelle
I wonder if it is the culture of adoration of control and of hero worship in general. No one actually examines the how or the why because they are too busy fawning over the what.
if this is the practice of the very top dressage riders then there needs to be change as all these riders have students/admirers who dont know any better. where are the true horsemen in dressage?? The FEI is a disgrace if they continue to condone this practice
for them to defend the practice is truly extraordinary.
Francesca
You are correct in saying that their students do not know any better. Neither do the fans of such riders as Anky, etc. There are, however, true horsemen in dressage. Klaus Balkenhol, Ingrid Klimke, Manolo Mendez all come to mind. They are in positions of leadership and can and do teach humane and correct horsemanship in dressage.