Prevalence of different head-neck positions in horses shown at dressage competitions and their relation to conflict behaviour and performance marks.
Authors: Kienapfel Kathrin, Link Yvonne, König V Borstel Uta
Journal: PloS one
Summary
# Editorial Summary The debate over correct head-neck positioning in dressage has long divided the equestrian community, yet little objective data existed on what riders actually practise at competitions and how different positions affect horse welfare. Researchers observed 171 horses during warm-up and competition phases at dressage events, categorising their head-neck positions by degree of flexion, whilst also conducting scan sampling of 355 additional horses to establish prevalence rates. The findings revealed a striking pattern: 69% of horses were ridden with their nasal plane behind the vertical during warm-up, yet significantly more conflict behaviours—such as tail-swishing, head-tossing and resistance—were observed in these horses compared to those ridden with the nose in front of the vertical (P<0.0001). Interestingly, horses typically presented with a less flexed position during actual competition than warm-up, and whilst behind-the-vertical positioning attracted lower marks in elementary levels, this penalty disappeared at advanced competition levels, despite those horses displaying greater conflict behaviours overall. For practitioners, these results suggest that behind-the-vertical positioning—currently the dominant warm-up practice—may compromise horse welfare and rideability, and that aesthetic or traditional expectations at higher levels may inadvertently reward postures associated with genuine signs of physical or psychological discomfort.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •The majority of dressage horses are currently ridden in a behind-vertical position that correlates with increased signs of physical and behavioural stress—reconsider whether this is necessary for competitive success
- •Judges appear to penalise behind-vertical positioning only at lower levels; higher-level competition may be inadvertently rewarding or ignoring this posture despite associated conflict behaviour
- •If aiming for a less stressful warm-up, positioning the nasal plane in front of vertical is associated with significantly fewer conflict behaviours and should be trialled
Key Findings
- •69% of dressage horses were ridden with nasal plane behind vertical during warm-up, compared to only 12% with nose in front of vertical
- •Horses with nasal plane behind vertical exhibited significantly more conflict behaviours than those with nose in front of vertical (P<0.0001)
- •Head-neck position behind vertical was penalised with lower marks only at lower competition levels, not higher levels (P=0.0434 vs P=0.9629)
- •Horses showed less flexed head-neck positioning during competition compared to warm-up (P<0.05)