More on Rollkur

 One doesn't have to understand German to get the point of this video: Horses don't like it because it hurts.

 "Painful Rollkur"

Viewing this through Google's Chrome browser may prove helpful for those who can't read German because that browser automatically brings up a toolbar for Google translate. There's not much text, but it provides some interesting points, including a comment that 70 percent of dressage riders use rollkur.

That tidbit likely explains why I've noticed an increasing number of incidents of equine rebellion in the form of balking and bolting and bucking since rollkur became fashionable. I'd never seen a top level dressage horse do any of these things in competition until the Athens Olympics. Now it's everywhere because competitive dressage horses differ from classically trained dressage horses, horses slowly coaxed and conditioned to be obedient.

 

A Question on the Trot

Here are two images of quite well known horses. I own the rights to neither photo and, for ease of comparison, have flipped image B so the horses are headed in the same direction. I've not posted the source URLs yet since I would like to ask a question of anyone who stumbles upon this site:

What specific type of trot is each horse performing? 

If you have time, I'd like to know how you decided. That is, what are the characteristics of whatever type of trot you assign to each horse. I will appreciate even the briefest of comments though, for example,  "both horses - jog trot," which I'm guessing anyone who hit this site will know is wildly incorrect.

HORSE A

HORSE B

This is a rarely visited blog, but when (if?) I collect at least ten answers, I'll post the source URLs with their description of the type of trot.  

By the way, I'm just curious. I do not show. I have no vested interests. I'm just CURIOUS.

The "Poodle Trot"

German riding master Waldemar Seunig (1887-1976) called a trot where a horse loses the parallelism of front and rear cannons "a poodle trot."  This short, clear video featuring German veterinarian and certified rider/trainer Gerd Heuschmann shows exactly what Seunig meant.

Anyone who's ever been to a Saddlebred show or maybe watched Arabian Park horse classes will recognize this flashy trot immediately. High, flailing front feet, dragging butts, and caved-in backs come from poor training and poorer understanding of conformation and biomechanics. Ever wonder why American Saddlebreds suffer from so much lordosis?  

On rare occasion, a horse with the build to lift the front and match that lift with drive from the rear finds a great trainer who can develop that talent and bring up the horse's back. For example, some Tom Bass-trained Saddlebreds showed stunning front flash with matching drive from the rear. Unfortunately, not many people have Tom Bass's ability. Most front flash means the hind end drags and the back sags, the antithesis of the engagement described in classical dressage texts.  

So I stopped watching upper level dressage rides when this trot started winning in competitive dressage classes. For example, watch Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas setting a Kuer record at Hickstead.

Below are a couple of screen captures from this ride. The horse's front end flies high and mighty, the rear end lags behind. 

Several friends disappointed me by loving this ride. Bigtime judges horrified me with their scoring. Is Toltilas not closer to "a poodle trot" than an engaged trot? 

Happily, classical dressage may be on the way back. Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, 2012 Olympic dressage winners, show no traces of rollkur or the "poodle trot." 

Compare Totilas and Valegro. Unlike Totilas's rear, Valegro's hind end is well under. The result is a beautifully matched pair of cannons--or cannon and shannon, if you're old school in nomenclature--and a hind foot well under his belly. Even this still gives an impression of flying forward. The stills of Totilas show a hind foot barely up under his sheath.

I hope Velegro's triumphs mark a trend back to classical dressage.