I do not wish to debate the training methods of "classical vs. deep method" by fighting
back and forth, comparing pros and cons of each technique or by tearing down and defacing the
riding and accomplishments of truly great riders.
       I would like to bring up a discussion on the roll-kur ("over-bending") from another point of
view. 
       I come from an area of the United States in which riding deep is quite out of the ordinary.
While discussing training, showing or the latest dressage news, this method is often brought up.
When it is, the riders in this discussion often go about complaining over the competition results
from recent shows, both at home and abroad. I find a knot starting to grown in my stomach and
feel a great need to respond. Knowing fully that my responce will cause critisism, I do it anyways.
I bring up the fact that many riders and trainers throught the world of dressage come to thier
versions of collection, correctness and having a "happy horse" by many different means. The 
best time to discover these many methods, I find, is the day before the show commences. After
my schooling is finished, I tuck my horses away in their stalls and head for the schooling rings.
One after another the trainers, coaches and students start to warm-up and school their horses
for tomorrows classes. They all want perfection and a good feeling before heading into the next 
days classes. What I love watching, is the many ways they get to that feeling. There are those who
come about it in a slower "round-about" way, gradually bringing thier horse round and forward.
Some go about quicker, asking for more sooner and keeping that feeling longer. Some are of
these riders are pleased with little and some need more to be content with the ride. 
      Now I would like to bring up the actually training methods used in getting the process done.
Now don't get me wrong, I dont believe nor do I wish to be seen as a person against all training
methods in which any force is used. It is only natural that some force needs to be brought into
the training of any animal....or even human. I also believe that training by only using force can
do nothing but harm what is the beautiful and gracious sport of dressage. 
      I will go back to the various methods that one will witness while watching a schooling session
at a dressage show, but I would like to first give some examples of training, other than horses.
When you first bring a puppy home, although you love and care for your new little dog, he needs
to know the boundaries. When he jumps on the coffee table, chews up your brand new gloves or
has an accident on the floor, he needs to know there is a consequence for his improper actions.
Most likely, this consequence is not going to very pleasant. But in the end, you will have a very
obedient 80lb dog instead of a wild one. Another example, is the United States Marines. When
a young man enters boot camp, I guarentee that force will be used in the process of moulding
him into a disciplined, compatent soldier. There is no harm done to the individual, only a great
improving of his body, will and self-discipline. And for one more example, I will use the old  "what
to do when your child wants to play by the road question"; do you make sure he knows not to go
anywhere near that area by leaving something in his mind that will remind him of the danger or 
do you let it slide so that you make sure he doesn't feel embarrassed or "forced to listen" in any 
way? I rest this part of my case.
     Now back to the schooling ring. As many horse and rider combinations enter the arena, you
can't help notice the variety of work. And I would hold alot of money to the fact that every rider
in that ring is using force of some sort.  When I bring this fact up, I always get a big responce.
"Do you think that the woman over there, not even asking her horse to be round, is using force 
while she is riding? How can you say that?" I respond that by sitting loosly in the tack and
freely allowing her horse to be extremely hollow and crooked, she is unknowingly forcing that
horse to be uncomfortable. And whoever claims that the horse in not uncomfortable, needs to
trot around with a small person on their back while arching it and traveling crooked. After 
about 3 minutes you will agree with me, and just imagine that the horse in case will need to do
this for about 45 minutes and then complete a 6 minute test. Are you starting to see the force 
now?
     There are also more clearly evident cases of force being used in that same ring. There are
many people who school in draw reins, forcing the horse to be fixed in one neck position for
the entire ride. There are some riders that never stretch thier mounts, for one reason or 
another; and after about 20 minutes of schooling, if you have ever ridden before, you know that
you will need to do some forcing to keep your horse up and forward with a tight, tired neck and
back. Then there are the trainers who most oppose the roll-kur. Their way of schooling consists
mostly of keeping the horse poll high and on or above the vertical. They do stretch the horse, 
but always keep his nose in front and never in the "danger area" of behind the vertical. I would
now like you to put that small person back onto your back. Now trot around and keep your back 
pretty flat and always have the crown of your head pointing upwards. I am sure you will last a
while longer than being hollow and crooked, but your back and lower neck will eventually become
stiff and locked up. Even if you do this method, giving yourself 5 minute breaks occationally and 
even stretching out once in a while, you will be tight after a short while.
      I would also like to ask all of the riders, trainers, veteranarians and judges that are debating
the good in using the roll-kur, to answer one question. When you ride and train dressage, and
attempt to bring along a strong, young horse to Grand Prix; do you ever need to use force?
You cannot possibly answer no. I am not against the training of a horse to do dressage, but lets
face it, it is not a completely natural thing for them to do. So in order to train a horse to do some-
thing that is somewhat unnatural, you have to use force in some way or another, and I think we
can all agree that the least amount of force is best.
    Now when I school my horses at home, I start out by giving them the benefit of the doubt. I
allow them to go forward and warm-up at their own pace. Gradually as the back loosens and
the shoulders start to swing, I bring them into a frame. Now what would I do if my horse started
out this ride rushing through the reins, dropping his back or lagging with the hind leg? If I did
not agree with schooling my horse deep, I would most likely spend my entire ride working at
fixing these evasions or trying to work around them. To me, this is a complete waste of time and
your horses energy. Your horse may never come around during this session and then the next
time you bring him out of the stable, he will be right back where you started the day before. He
may be even worse! Now if when you first figure out that he is rushing, dropping or lagging, you
were to put him alittle deep and do some rapid transitions to quicken his hind legs, or even put
him very deep and show him how to round his topline to fix his dropped back, where is the 
problem? You can get what you want to accomplish in alot less time and go on to better things
or even give your horse a nice short 20 minute ride. I would like to ask the people opposing the
roll-kur, wouldn't your horse be happier if he could be explained something quickly and get on 
it or would he rather you ride him for an hour and possibly never accomplish what you started
out asking him for in the first place?
     I make sure and purchase every DVD or video I can get my hands on of all the competitions
that are brought up in these roll-kur discussions. I have watched tests and freestyles from very
recent to long ago and find one distinct thing. The horses who are ridden in a deeper and rounder
fashion, need alot less pulling, pushing and tugging on during the test. The very riders who most
openly oppose the deep method have horses who look miserable. I know of a very special GP
horse that was in a past olympic games and is now under a new rider. Originally this horse was
trained deep, but his new pilot is against it. I have a video of him at a competition with his
previous rider and one of him with the new rider and the difference is undeniable. I would also 
like to mention that these tests are less than a year apart. There are also many examples of
horses that were schooled deep their entire life and are still at an old age, ready to go with a
good supple back and round topline, long after retirement.
     For me the greatest testament that the roll-kur is not the painful, abusive way of riding that
so many people claim it to be, is that you cannot force a living animal to do anything. Then with
that argument, I will go one step further. You may be able to man handle a horse into doing a
few things, some people are very good at that, but you will never be able to make a horse be
brilliant. The brilliance shown by Nicole Uphoff-Becker and Rembrandt, Isabell Werth and
Gigolo, Ulla Salzgaber and Rusty, Anky van Grunsven and Bonfire, Laurens van Lieren and
Ollright, Reiner Klimke and  Pascal and Anky  van Grunsven on  Keltec Salinero cannot be forced
or denied. If anyone were to watch these horse and rider combinations with no method bias, 
this big debate and controversy would never have even been started. And if the ones that are
starting these debates are truly out for the welfare of the horse only, they would also start
asking serious questions about using gadgets or devices to school a horse, or starting a
young horse with a poll high position instead of a more stretching one or showing and draining
every last drop out of an aged schoolmaster, just because he is the only FEI horse you have to
show. If you are one of the opposers of the roll-kur, please look at how much you actually know 
about it, before you make judgements. And compare what you know about it, to the various other
styles and methods of dressage. And finally, if you have trained and shown horses to FEI and
have worked with hot, talented and often times explosive horses and you still are against the
positioning of a horses neck in a way that helps you and him stay safe and sound, then I have
nothing more to say. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but just make sure that before
you make your opinion, you understand what you making your opinion on.
							
							Fallon Walker
							    4-5-06
                                                                                                 FWDressage@schwungfarm.com