AT the higher levels of dressage, the horse is asked to perform strenuously while his airway is not straight; it is kinked at the throat, where the head and neck meet.
There has been much debate about whether the competition outline and head carriage expected in dressage is natural or unnatural and whether the airway is compromised. In 2010, the FEI held a round table conference at which hyperflexion was deemed unacceptable – hyperflexion being the forcing of the horse’s head into a position beyond the vertical, with the chin pulled into the chest.
Rather, the “low-deep round” (LDR) position has been promoted as a warm-up tool, because it is believed to be more natural and less forced by unreasonable tension on the reins.
Danish vets have investigated the performance, function and welfare of dressage horses and a recent paper has shed more light on this controversial subject. They studied 13 high-performance warmblood dressage horses competing at prix st georges or higher. Each was fitted with a tiny, indwelling (internal) endoscope, to monitor airway function, and with tension gauges in the reins.
The horses were ridden by their usual competition riders, using only a snaffle bit. Each was worked in four different positions: free head carriage, in which the head was completely unrestrained; competition frame, in which the poll was high and the front of the face vertical; LDR, in which the neck was low and round with the poll below the level of the withers and the front of the face beyond the vertical and, finally, hyperflexion, in which the horse was asked to flex his neck as much as possible with the front of his face beyond the vertical.
この記事は Horse & Hound の May 07, 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Horse & Hound の May 07, 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
The joys of spring
With the hunters roughed off, Tessa Waugh is enjoying some time pottering around among the spring blooms, defuzzing the ponies and catching up on the postman's gossip
'That golden thread, and a zest for life'
In the latest of his series about great huntsmen he knew personally, Alastair Jackson remembers Tim Langley, who spent 30 years at the Berkeley
Notable leaves us Speechless
All-weather winners switch to turf to claim the first two Classics of the season and a globe-trotting son of Frankel scoops his biggest win at the age of nine
Faultless Faurie
Emile Faurie and Bellevue's mistake-free performance secures them an emotional freestyle win while “family horse” Goldstrike continues to step up
Dean proves untouchable
A Windsor debutante brushes aside some fierce opposition and a \"quirky and feisty\" chestnut mare follows in her sister's footsteps
Fuchs claims back-to-back victories
The sensational Swiss rider is richly rewarded with a “special” double on his phenomenal grey, with Robert Whitaker best of the Brits
Super-Bert's royal return
Beloved natives are the order of the day and two coloureds triumph under saddle
Welsh stallion is the perfect Example
A stallion bred in Holland is the top inhand pony, while a Connemara shines once more at his favourite showground
Gambler is the real deal
A coloured pony breaks records, perseverance with a tricky show pony pays and a working hunter pony is a standout winner
Slip collector organiser
Fi Norbury on the childhood thrill of being mistaken for a competitor, perfect grooming and Badminton’s crowds