Rosie Mogford, Blue Cross senior horse rehoming manager, said: “Blue Cross welcomes the news from Dressage New Zealand who are reported to be ruling to prevent over-tightening of horses’ nosebands in competition.
Our charity believes it should never be common practice to use pain as a means of control, particularly as the principles of dressage are predicated on harmony and lightness. Tack i.e. bit, bridle and curb chain should not be so tight that is uncomfortable on initial fitting. Classical training methods and good sense demand that if resistance persists, the trainer needs to address the root cause of this rather than tightening the tack and stepping up the pain caused.
“Dressage New Zealand gets a ten from Blue Cross for following in the footsteps of the Danish and we hope many other competition bodies will join them to give a consistent message, and cause people to think twice about how we are training our horses.”Rosie Mogford, Blue Cross senior horse rehoming manager, said: “Blue Cross welcomes the news from Dressage New Zealand who are reported to be ruling to prevent over-tightening of horses’ nosebands in competition.
