Dressage and competitive equestrian disciplines involve training methods that range from highly welfare-positive to severely abusive, with ongoing debate about practices including rollkur, spur use, and training intensity.
The spectrum of training methods used in equestrian sport ranges from highly welfare-positive approaches building genuine partnership to abusive techniques that cause physical and psychological harm. The use of equipment including draw reins, tight nosebands, and spurs without proper training knowledge can cause significant pain and distress. Horses trained with primarily negative reinforcement may perform required movements while in chronic stress states. The welfare of sport horses requires regulation of training methods as well as competition conditions.