Competitive dressage raises welfare questions about training methods, rollkur controversy, and the physical demands placed on horses in pursuit of high performance scores.
Dressage at its best demonstrates a harmony between horse and rider that reflects the horse's natural athleticism and willingness. At its worst, the pursuit of high performance scores creates incentives for training methods that compromise welfare. Rollkur, which forces extreme neck flexion, reduces visibility, may restrict breathing, and causes muscular tension — it was ruled against by the FEI as an abusive practice but remains present in warming-up areas. Sub-clinical lameness detected in competing horses raises questions about whether performance is achieved at the cost of pain. The existence of positive training methods that achieve elite performance without reliance on aversive techniques demonstrates that welfare and competitive excellence are compatible, and should inform industry training standards.