Swedish team up to Anky Panky.

Kokopelli said:
Bit of a grey area isn't it? I think the only way to prove it would be video not just photos to prove they are being forced into an unatural frame.
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totally agree. But the FEI then shouldn't have come out and said they were dead against rollkur when people asked them wtf about these pictures,as that, to me at least, implies they recognise it as being rollkur. If that makes any sense?!

Anyway, it looks horrible. Even non horsey people I've shown it to think it looks cruel so if the FEI want dressage to remain an olympic sport they had better do something about it sharpish I think. It's already in danger of being thrown out without this kind of bad press.

FEI are, as usual, being useless and refusing to accept that what people outside the horse world think does, just occasionally, count towards how seriously the sport is taken.
 
I'm new(ish) to horses and riding, so this is a real eye opener :(.

If the Swedes make it to the finals I'm gonna be booing them loudly from the stands on Tuesday.
 
I'm currently watching today's dressage on TiVo and I've been able to spot each poor horse that's been trained with or by the Rolkur bunch before the commentator has even mentioned names.
Unnatural heads, teeth grinding through tension, excess foamIng.... Grrrr, makes me so mad because it's unnecessary
 
There is a comment on the fb page for people to turn their backs to the competitors while they are riding. Good idea.
 
The problem with turning backs/leaving stands when Rollkur using competitors are riding is that it potentially gives the rider a quieter atmosphere (& therefore more concentrating horse)
So by trying to 'punish' these riders you could actually be helping them!
 
glamourpuss said:
The problem with turning backs/leaving stands when Rollkur using competitors are riding is that it potentially gives the rider a quieter atmosphere (& therefore more concentrating horse)
So by trying to 'punish' these riders you could actually be helping them!
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Actually i think the buzz itll create would require a quiet please before they start and as i rider they should be mortified, so yes i do think it would work
 
Well just boo. Loudly.

If what we see is a snapshot in time, e.g. A few minutes worth, imagine what these horses go through at home. It must take a long time to develop that shape and tension.

Did anyone else also notice the German horse who, when they finished the event sj, did the classic "headshake" the rapid up and down movement which only results when in extreme PAIN!!!?
 
If you're at Greenwich watching the dressage today, get on board with the campaign and #TurnYourBackOnRidersThatRollkur

This doesn't just apply for the Olympics, it applies to all International competition, and until the FEI step up and actually enforce their own rules, this is what we can do to show everyone that we don't welcome cruelty in our dressage arenas.

Doesn't matter how quiet the arena goes, or how good his test is, if the entire audience turns their back on Kittels test, the world cant fail to notice.
He rides at 2:44 today - Turn Your Back On Riders That Rollkur
 
I absolutely agree with the principal & if I was going to be there I would do it. The problem is unless the majority of the stadium do it, it will hardly get noticed.
However it only takes a few people to boo to cause enough of a disturbance for commentators other spectators to notice & question ;)
 
i think a silent protest like that would have much more impact than countless emails! people who had no idea what was going on would be asking questions, it would bring it to the attention of the worlds media and perhaps then the FEI could no longer turn a blind eye!
 
If a whole stadium were to do it...yes, a silent protest would grab attention.
Realistically what are the chances of that happening at the Olympics today?
 
I think a 'Turn your back' on Rolkur plan is a good one. What would REALLY make it, though, is if someone had t-shirts made, with that printed on the back, for the world's media to see - along with an email to the BBC to look out for it.
 
The other thing to consider is the result. If any of the Swedish team, or other riders that use Rollkur end up with medals around their necks....then NOTHING will change their practise whilst the judges mark the effects of it well :(
 
Having been tweeted in order to spread the 'turn your back on rollkur' campaign, Horse & Hound have refused to comment on the use of rollkur in dressage, and instead have said:
"We will not encourage this unsportsmanlike behaviour"


... Wow :(
 
Hideously disappointed in H&H for seemingly entirely missing the point of the campaign! Rollkur is unsportsmanlike!
 
From the tweet it seems so, it would be unsporting according to H&H to refuse to watch someone using a BANNED UNSPORTING technique in their warm up....very confusing.
 
Presumably if the FEI disqualified Kittel for abuse in the warm-up ring, he could challenge them and demand to know why others who use rollkur were not knocked out.

Which could bring down quite a house of cards.
 
SusannaF said:
Presumably if the FEI disqualified Kittel for abuse in the warm-up ring, he could challenge them and demand to know why others who use rollkur were not knocked out.

Which could bring down quite a house of cards.
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Every person caught using Rollkur should be banned in my humble numpty rider opinion
 
SusannaF said:
Presumably if the FEI disqualified Kittel for abuse in the warm-up ring, he could challenge them and demand to know why others who use rollkur were not knocked out.

Which could bring down quite a house of cards.
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I wish it b***dy well would. We see some competitors in other events being disqualified for what seem to be quite minor infringements, and yet in the equestrian world those who use cruel and painful training methods are allowed to continue. What message does that send out?
 
M_G said:
Every person caught using Rollkur should be banned in my humble numpty rider opinion
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Agreed.....
A runner would be banned for using drugs, and quite frankly I see no difference with the use of Rollkur.
Its a BANNED practise....or at least it is supposed to be.
Another who will no longer be buying H&H.
I shall find other places to advertise if I sell a horse.
 
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