FEI & DRESSAGE

The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), is described as governing body for competitive equestrianism. They host the most famous equestrian competitions, including the Olympics. 

One of the most important and well-known disciplines in equestrianism is dressage, in which horse and rider combinations complete beautiful, complex moves in an arena while trying to be as in-sync and perfect as possible.

There are many methods used for improving performance in dressage, but not all of them are ethical. One of the most well-known abusive practices is Rollkur.

WHAT IS ROLLKUR?

Rollkur is the act in which a rider uses force to hyperflex a horse's neck into a severely uncomfortable, unnatural, and painful position. It is known to be extremely abusive and can cause significant damage to equines both physically and mentally.

Rollkur is proven to cause the following issues in horses:

-Difficulty breathing

-Stress, fear, and anxiety

-Both short-term and long-term musculoskeletal damage

-Severe discomfort and pain

-Mental and physical trauma

FEI TURNING A BLIND EYE TO ROLLKUR

Although rollkur is banned in competition, it is still legal for riders to do on their own property during training and casual riding. But there have been many, many incidents where riders have used blatant rollkur during competitions and got away with it. In fact, some were even rewarded!

Equestrians using rollkur during FEI competitions were given noticeably higher scores than those who were not. This is disgusting and should not be acceptable.

For years, countless people have been taking a stand against rollkur and begging for FEI to do something about this horrendous horse abuse. They have only continued to ignore it and let this happen, being ignorant to any criticism.

IT'S TIME TO STOP THIS

We need to stop this once and for all. Rollkur has been scientifically proven again and again to be abuse. Horses' health, safeness, and happiness should ALWAYS be prioritized over performance and trends. It's the big year of 2025 and barely anything has been done to stop this. Horses are being forcefully subjected to extreme pain, fear, and health issues just so that their riders can win money.

FEI needs to stop pretending that everything is alright. They need to actually do something about this situation and stick with their rollkur ban. They should inflict severe punishments against riders using rollkur instead of tolerating and encouraging the abuse! These consequences should be more than just a slap on the wrist - I personally believe that first-time offenders should get a 1-2 year suspension from competing + fines, and repeat offenders should be permanently banned from completing + fines + legal repercussions for animal cruelty.

Horses are what give these riders all of the money and fame they have. Their equines do whatever they want them to and serve them. And abuse is what the horses get in return. It's time to stop this.

Sign this petition to help this cause.