Elite Dressage Horse Head-and-Neck Angles: Impact on Performance Scores
A recent study revealed a rather unsettling trend among elite dressage competitions. Notably, top-ranking international dressage competitors who rode their horses with their heads behind the vertical during both warmup and competition had higher scores in competitions. This unsettling trend is contrary to the rules of many worldwide equestrian federations, including the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI), which require horses to have their nose lines on or slightly in front of the vertical at all times during a competition.
Why the Position Matters
Head and neck positioning greatly affects the horse's health and comfort. When a horse's head aligns vertically, or 'on the bit,' it displays a relaxed and responsive demeanor, maintaining a well-balanced stance that supports sound movement. On the contrary,
a head position further behind the vertical is typically uncomfortable for the horse, obstructing its airflow and vision, putting undue stress on the neck joints and impairening their muscle functionality.
The Startling Findings
The findings were based on data from videos of 49 horses and riders at the Grad Prix Special (CDIO5*) in Aachen, Germany, in 2018 and 2019. The researchers of the
published study calculated the average scores of head-neck positioning for these horses across 6,571 video frames, both during warmup and competition.
The startling results were that the average angle for all the horses' nasal planes was 11 degrees behind the vertical during warmup, and 5 degrees behind the vertical during the competition. Furthermore, those horses whose riders were higher ranked had their head positions even further behind the vertical on average.
Conflict Behaviours and Neck Postures
The study also identified that the more a horse's head was behind the vertical, whether in warmup or the competition ring, the more that horse displayed conflict behaviors, like excessive tail swishing, oral behaviors, and body movements. These behaviors might be symptomatic of the stress, pain, or discomfort that a horse might experience when its head is kept behind the vertical for too long.
Implications and Future Directions
This revelation presents an alarming contradiction between the sport's rules and the actual practices in the dressage arena. For the welfare of the horse, it is now crucial that judges, stewards, and trainers take more notice of the head and neck positions of the competing horses, and actively discourage forcing the animals to maintain uncomfortable stances. Further investigations are also needed to explore the core reasons for these inappropriate riding practices and develop strategies for rectifying them.
This eye-opening study again emphasizes the importance of adhering to healthy and ethical equestrian practices to ensure not just higher performance scores, but also the well-being and comfort of our equine partners.
Article credit to TheHorse.com.
