Comparison of head–neck positions and conflict behaviour in ridden elite dressage horses between warm-up and competition

Kienapfel, K.; Piccolo, L.; Cockburn, M.; Gmel, A.; Rueß, D.; Bachmann, I.

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106202

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…They include but are not limited to, champing the bit, tail-swishing, biting, kicking, rearing and bucking and are thought to have their origins in intraspecific antagonistic behaviours and counter-predator responses [ 63 ]. There has been a tendency of those performing observational studies in ridden horses to attribute some aspects of behaviour to conflict behaviour, without consideration of underlying pain [ 44 , 45 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ]. Indeed, there is considerable cross-over between these behaviours and those that are often observed in ridden horses with musculoskeletal pain [ 7 , 10 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was disturbing to observe the high prevalence of the head behind the vertical >10 • for at least 10s at all levels in the current study in both the non-lame horses and those with mild lameness. There is additional evidence that in pure dressage at Grand Prix level [42][43][44] and at British Dressage preliminary, novice or elementary levels [45], during either warm-up or during the competition, there is a high prevalence of horses being worked with their heads behind a vertical position. Similar observations have been made during warm-up for 2* to 4* international showjumping competitions [46].…”

Section: Head Behind the Verticalmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Determination of Equine Behaviour in Subjectively Non-Lame Ridden Sports Horses and Comparison with Lame Sports Horses Evaluated at Competitions

Dyson,

Pollard

2024

Animals

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The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) was developed to facilitate the identification of musculoskeletal pain. The aim of the current study was to collate behavioural data using the RHpE from horses at competitions assumed by their owners and/or riders to be fit for competition. The objectives were to quantify the frequency of occurrence of behaviours in pain-free horses and those with lameness or abnormalities of canter and to determine any differences between disciplines and levels of competition. The RHpE was applied to 1358 horses competing in Grand Prix (GP) dressage (n = 211), 5* three-day events (TDE) (n = 137), or low-level one-day events (ODE) (n = 1010). The median RHpE score for all horses was 4 (interquartile range [IQR] 2, 5; range 0, 12) and the median lameness grade was 0 (IQR 0, 1; range 0, 4). The Kruskal–Wallis test, followed by Dunn’s test for pairwise comparisons, found a difference in median RHpE scores between low-level ODE and GP dressage (p = 0.001), but not between 5* TDE and low-level ODE (p = 0.09) or between GP dressage and 5* TDE (p = 1.00). The median RHpE score was highest for low-level ODE. The Chi-square/Fisher’s exact test identified a significant difference in prevalence of most of the 24 behaviours of the RHpE in non-lame compared with lame horses. Recognition of the behaviours of non-lame horses may improve equine welfare and performance, and rider comfort, confidence, and safety.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Head Behind the Verticalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of Equine Behaviour in Subjectively Non-Lame Ridden Sports Horses and Comparison with Lame Sports Horses Evaluated at Competitions

Dyson,

Pollard

2024

Animals

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Oral behaviour during riding is associated with oral lesions in dressage horses – A field study

Christensen,

Uldahl

2024

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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Hyperflexing the horse’s neck: a systematic review and meta-analysis

König von Borstel,

Kienapfel,

McLean

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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The article reports a meta-analysis of 58 peer-reviewed studies investigating on dorsoventral hyperflexion of the neck in horses, a practice under substantial public and scientific scrutiny for the past two decades. The following databases were last searched on 28.05.2023: CAB, Google Scholar, Web of Science, NAL/Agricola, PubMed and ScienceDirect. After evaluating the conclusions of each study, we performed statistical analyses to establish a consensus on welfare and performance (performance marks, kinematics and musculoskeletal) outcomes in horses performing with a hyperflexed head and neck posture (HNP). The analysis revealed that a significant majority of the articles (75% of n = 36; Z = 3.00; P>|Z|=0.0027) expressed concerns about the welfare of horses working in this posture. Parameters such as dressage training level, prior experience, duration, and method of achieving the hyperflexed posture did not influence welfare concern conclusions significantly ( P > 0.1). Therefore, it appears that the practice impairs welfare regardless of how it is imposed. A concurrent assessment of the weight of evidence for performance benefits showed inconclusive results: approximately one-quarter of the studies showed benefits and one-quarter detrimental effects, while the largest proportion (44%) showed no significant effect on performance. On balance, it appears that the costs associated with hyperflexed HNPs exceed potential benefits. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-024-72766-5.

show abstract

Comparison of head–neck positions and conflict behaviour in ridden elite dressage horses between warm-up and competition

Cited by 5 publications

References 32 publications

Determination of Equine Behaviour in Subjectively Non-Lame Ridden Sports Horses and Comparison with Lame Sports Horses Evaluated at Competitions

Determination of Equine Behaviour in Subjectively Non-Lame Ridden Sports Horses and Comparison with Lame Sports Horses Evaluated at Competitions

Oral behaviour during riding is associated with oral lesions in dressage horses – A field study

Hyperflexing the horse’s neck: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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