High-level dressage involves demanding training that has welfare implications. Understanding the welfare evidence helps distinguish welfare-positive training from concerning practices.
Dressage welfare sits at the intersection of athletic training, tradition, and competitive pressure. The welfare indicators in dressage horses are behavioral: horses trained through classical methods show relaxed, rhythmic movement with soft expression, while horses trained through force or extreme position show resistance behaviors, tension in the top line, conflict at the bit, and stressed facial expressions. The welfare case against rollkur and hyperflexion is based on both the physical stress of extreme neck position and the behavioral evidence that horses subjected to this training show clear signs of discomfort. Welfare-positive dressage prioritizes the horse's physical and psychological comfort over short-term performance results.