PrintA YouTube video of the FEI World Cup dressage qualifier in Odense, Denmark, has reignited the flames of controversy regarding hyperflexion in dressage communities around the world. It wasn’t a movie of Anky van Grunsven’s winning ride aboard Salinero, but a video of Swedish rider and Olympian Patrik Kittel warming up his 10-year-old stallion, Watermill Scandic.
The 4 1/2 minute video, with more than 50,000 YouTube views, depicts Kittel using a controversial hyperflexion training technique often referred to as rollkur.
A huge response from the public via forums, petition websites, blogs and other social networking sites prompted Fédération Equestre Internationale officials to launch a full investigation of Kittel’s warm-up.
“The FEI’s main concern has always been and will always be the welfare of the horse. We are taking the issues raised in the video and in the comments made by members of the public on social media and by email very seriously and have opened a full investigation,” was the official FEI statement.
Kittel responded to the video in an interview posted on Barnmice.com.
“I watched the slow motion, the editing, the decision to post only those few minutes of my ride and not my warm-up, or walk breaks, and how neatly the images supported the accompanying text—all presenting me as abusing my horse. With the way that the video and text are put together, I understand why people get upset. This video is a very brief clip taken totally out of context and the accompanying text is inflammatory and untrue,” he said.
He added, “I love all my horses and Scandic has a special place my heart. He has an incredible personality, and I would never ever try to break his spirit.”
According to EPONA.tv journalists, who filmed Kittel’s warm-up, a spectator complained about his riding to the Chief Steward, but the steward did not deem any action necessary. Epona.tv posted the video on Youtube with the following statement:
“For a minimum of two hours, Kittel trained Watermill Scandic in various degrees of hyperflexion, on Friday ahead of Saturday's Grand Prix. EPONA.tv was passing by the warm up at 3.45 pm, and at this time, the rider was well into his session. At circa 5.45, the session ended. During the first part of the training session, the horse’s tongue was briefly showing. The tongue was clearly blue, and flopped limply from the horse’s mouth.”
More than 2,500 people signed an online petition against hyperflexion and another 2,000 joined a facebook group against the training practice. Others have not found the video incriminating.
