Dear Rita,

You know, sometimes when I sit down to write, I have to admit to having ulterior motives. I don’t know if y’all noticed, but the FEI is meeting at Lausanne today to discuss Rollkür. This controversy has become insanely heated on both sides with rational thinking and logical argument mostly thrown out the window.

Both sides of this battle are fixating on the position of the neck, which seems to miss the point. As I showed in the video, a good rider can position the neck just about anywhere (within limits) without doing harm. The FEI needs to make this point clear for the sake of the sport.

By the way, positions on the subject tend to gravitate to the old battle lines of WWII. 😉 Politics run deep.

While I have direct access to the representatives of the IDRC and the IDTC who will be attending the meeting today, sometimes a public blog carries more credibility than a private opinion. So I’m happy to have a sane place to discuss this subject openly. Let’s keep it sane.

Also, I really did want to know if anyone was paying attention.

So thank you all for ASKING!!! I thought that somebody might ask me for a clearer message about that short little video clip.

For those of you wondering with quiet venom why I have joined the Pro-Low-Down-Round group on Facebook, stay tuned! That blog is coming soon.

Please inform all forum friends that I don’t have time to browse the cyber world. So if they have questions about ANYTHING relating to dressage, I will try to give answers here—at this blog—if I can. But if they don’t ask their questions here, I may not see them.

And, be patient! When this horrific weather warms up, I promise you a video of the Accordion played from behind the saddle and completely through the horse. Just can’t ask that in these cold temperatures, because I’m riding very conservatively at the moment. My poor horses!

Also, that kind of riding is not relevant to today’s discussion in Lausanne. When people are foaming at the mouth, it is best to keep it simple so that they are not frightened by their own reflection in the mirror.

I do know most of the people who will be involved in that discussion today. They are capable people. Let’s hope they get us out of this mess.

I’m Catherine Haddad, and I’m saying like it is from Vechta, Germany.

Training Tip of the Day: Over time, the muscle tone of the horse’s neck will match the muscle tone of the rider’s arms.

http://internationaldressage.com/