Finally, a step in the right direction! Switzerland officials enacted a law prohibiting the use of hyperflexion (aka Rollkur) in their country. While this doesn't solve the big picture of horse abuse created by extreme flexion of the horse's neck, it is an improvement over the fictitious ban created by the FEI.
The details of the Swiss Ban on Rollkur –
- Originally proposed in 2008; Approved in October 2013; Effective January 1, 2014.
- States that it is forbidden to “require the horse to maintain its head and neck in hyperflexion (rollkur).”
- Applies to both competitive and training sessions.
- Aimed specifically at “extreme cases”, such as “those in which the influence exercised by the rider, the means used, and the non-natural position are harmful and/or the hyperflexion of the head and neck lasts several minutes.”
- Makes the practice a crime of animal abuse at the government level.
Before we get our excited knickers bunched up keep in mind that we have yet to see how and if this law will be enforced. The statement of “hyperflexion of the head and neck lasts several minutes” is still vague.
The important feature of this law is that hyperflexion & rollkur are now crimes in Switzerland. This could cause some riders to clean up their act to avoid charges in the future should other countries adopt similar laws.
Let's keep pushing, we're making some progress towards a real ban on open horse abuse through Rollkur & Hyperflexion!
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