Comparison of the head and neck position of elite dressage horses during top-level competitions in 1992 versus 2008.
Authors: Lashley Morgan J J O, Nauwelaerts Sandra, Vernooij J C M, Back W, Clayton Hilary M
Journal: Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
Summary
# Editorial Summary Over the past two decades, dressage training and competition have seen a marked shift towards lower head carriage, with elite horses increasingly positioned behind the vertical—a trend that contradicts FEI rules and raises concerns amongst veterinary professionals regarding potential musculoskeletal consequences. Morgan and colleagues analysed video footage from Grand Prix performances at the 1992 Olympic Games and 2008 World Cup Final, measuring head angles during collected canter, collected trot, passage and piaffe to establish whether this shift had genuinely occurred and whether judges were rewarding it. While behind-the-vertical positioning was consistent in collected work across both time periods, passage and piaffe showed a statistically significant increase in behind-the-vertical head angles from 1992 to 2008, with notably higher competition scores correlating with more extreme behind-the-vertical angles during piaffe in 2008. The findings suggest that despite explicit FEI regulations, competition judges have de facto accepted and even rewarded increasingly flexed neck positions over the past 25 years—a concerning validation of a style that may compromise the horse's biomechanical health. For farriers, physiotherapists and veterinary surgeons, this research underscores the importance of understanding how competitive trends influence training methods, and highlights the necessity for rigorous investigation into whether such head carriage patterns contribute to the chronic neck and locomotor problems increasingly presenting in modern dressage horses.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Modern elite dressage horses are increasingly ridden with their heads behind the vertical contrary to FEI regulations, suggesting judges are not enforcing rules against this position
- •The correlation between BHV head position and higher scores suggests competitive pressure may incentivize problematic neck postures that warrant investigation for welfare and health impacts
- •Practitioners should be aware this trend may predispose horses to neck-related locomotor problems and should advocate for rule enforcement and further research on biomechanical consequences
Key Findings
- •Head angulation behind the vertical (BHV) was significantly more likely during passage and piaffe in 2008 compared to 1992 (P<0.05)
- •In 2008, heads were positioned BHV in all paces, whereas in 1992 this only occurred during collected trot and collected canter
- •Higher competition scores correlated significantly with BHV head positions during piaffe in 2008 (P<0.05)
- •FEI dressage judges have not penalized horses for BHV head positions in recent competition years despite FEI rules against this practice