In the wake of multiple abuse allegations brought forward in recent months against top riders (Helgstrand Dropped from Danish Dressage Squad After TV Exposé / Cesar Parra Suspended for Animal Abuse Allegations / EC Provisionally Suspends Canadian Dressage Riders), growing concerns for animal welfare within the sport of dressage continue to mount. Although the FEI continues to assert its commitment to equine welfare, recently published studies and growing trends in competitive dressage are shedding light on troubling patterns to the contrary.

A 2024 study (Kienapfel et al.) analyzed horse-and-rider pairs from 2018 to 2019 in the Grand Prix Special CDIO5* at the CHIO in Aachen, Germany. The 49 competitors were examined for head/neck position, oral behaviour, tail swishing, and conflict behaviours. Horses demonstrated notably more conflict behaviours and oral behaviours when they were ridden behind the vertical (BTV) and were consistently ridden in deeper angles BTV during the warm-up than in competition. Most horses were still ridden BTV in competition and displaying conflict behaviours, yet the study confirmed that horses ridden BTV consistently scored higher than horses ridden with their profiles in front of the vertical.

A similar study (Hamilton et al.) was conducted in 2019 with riders in Preliminary, Novice and Elementary levels in British Dressage with the aim to investigate a correlation, if any, between conflict behaviours and judging patterns. Conflict behaviours were seen in 97.6% of the five to seven movements analyzed per test, and horses ridden BTV consistently scored higher than those in front of the vertical. Like the study in Aachen, a trend was clear: Judges are giving higher marks to riders who ride their horses in hyperflexion regardless of these horses displaying higher rates of distress via conflict behaviours.

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