and it says the following:
"The Danish Animal Welfare Society, Dyrenes Beskyttelse, has sent out a press release demanding a ban on the use of rollkur in Denmark. ”This is not a new debate” said Payana Hendriksen, who heads up the equine division of Dyrenes Beskyttelse, to Epona.tv. ”We have been talking about this for years. Dyrenes Beskyttelse is against the use of rollkur, and now that Switzerland has banned the practice, we feel that it is time to take the issue to the Danish politicians and try to make sure the same thing happens here.” - See more at: http://epona.tv/blog/2014/january/danish-rollkur-ban-in-the-cards#sthash.pn8VFniu.dpuf"
The Danish Animal Welfare Society does not distinguish between rollkur, hyperflexion and low, deep and round, according to Payana Hendriksen. ”While we understand that the FEI continues to allow the so-called low, deep and round technique which does not involve forcing the horse into hyperflexion, we feel that in practical terms, it is close to impossible for stewards and other officials to discern between LDR and rollkur. So as long as the FEI cannot provide clear definitions of rollkur and LDR, we at The Danish Animal Welfare Society consider them to be one and the same thing.”
Hendriksen adds that several of the adverse effects of hyperflexion apply whether the horse has been trained humanely to assume the position or is being forced to do so by use of the reins. ”The horse can't see where he is going when he is in hyperflexion. His breathing is restricted and his bones and muscles are also being stressed. We don't think it is humane to ride a horse like this.”
Even if the campaign to ban hyperflexion by law in Denmark is successful, it will be an uphill struggle to actually stop riders using rollkur, Payana Hendriksen acknowledges. ”This is a practice which has gone on for a very long time and we're aware that it won't stop overnight with a ban” she said. ”But we hope that by writing it into the Danish animal welfare legislation, we send out a signal to riders everywhere that this type of riding is not okay. We have a lot of work ahead of us, informing horse owners about humane training methods. No doubt, this will be a huge step for horse welfare in Denmark.”
- See more at: http://epona.tv/blog/2014/january/danish-rollkur-ban-in-the-cards#sthash.pn8VFniu.dpufGreat article, one step in the direction. It may be babysteps, but I think the more we take. The closer we will get to reach our goal of humane equestrian welfare. Afterall these steps are being taken towards protecting the horses.
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