JULY 2006 • VOLUME 11 • ©HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine

I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Dr Reiner Klimke on a number of occasions in the years before his untimely death, and he was always generous with his knowledge and not afraid to speak his mind if he disagreed with elements creeping into competition dressage such as ‘deep and low’ as it was termed then.

Nicole Upoff had introduced the practise with the ever spooky Rembrandt in order to keep him under control in the warm up arena. Then, on entering the arena itself, Rembrandt would bring his head up to where it should be, rather than way above the bit and ready to shy!

Riders, seeing the success of Nicole’s methods, resulting in a clutch of gold medals over a considerable period, tried to copy this technique, but taking it much further. In Rembrandt’s era, Uphoff did not employ such extremes of hyperflexion as is seen now, and I did not personally feel that the practise was cruel - Classically incorrect maybe, but used purely as a tool to calm a very difficult horse.

Taking this to the extremes to be seen in the warm up arena nowadays, as depicted in the photographs accompanying Teresa Sandin’s article in the June issue of Horses for Life, is tantamount to abuse of the horse. The F.E.I. states that it has carried out tests on certain top horses to ascertain whether any lasting damage is done due to rolkur being used in training. The organisation admitted that in the wrong hands it could possibly do damage, but that in very experienced hands the tests proved that it was not causing harm, which in itself is a very worrying conclusion. How can it be judged who is, or is not, capable of using this method without regular supervision? Is the FEI going to send out a posse of inspectors around the world to check on even the lowest level competitors who see their idols using hyperflexion in training and wish to emulate their success at the expense of the welfare of the horse? I somehow think not. By giving the all clear to rolkur, the FEI are essentially inviting many riders to use it in training who will not recognise their own limitations. As always, it is the horse that will suffer.