07/28/2025
Research conducted by Kienapfel and colleagues (2025) set out to investigate the relationship between head–neck position (HNP) and behavioural indicators of welfare in elite dressage horses.
Their goal was to provide an objective, evidence-based threshold at which flexion during riding becomes problematic for equine welfare, and to clarify the respective roles of vertical and poll angles in this context.
Concurrently, the occurrence of conflict behaviours—such as tail swishing, abnormal oral behaviours, headshaking, and gait irregularities—were quantified by trained observers.
The study used linear mixed-effects models to show that greater head–neck flexion—especially more negative vertical and poll angles—is clearly linked to increased conflict behaviour in dressage horses, with other factors like age, breed, or bit type not significant, though stallions did show more conflict than mares or geldings.
The authors identified that a -7.5° vertical angle (nasal plane behind the vertical) was an evidence-based limit: positions less flexed than -4° can be considered safe, -4° to -7.5° require caution, and beyond -7.5° pose a welfare risk.
Notably, more than 90% of horses examined were ridden behind the vertical, with half of these exceeding the -7.5° threshold, despite regulations.
📖: Kienapfel K, Hartmann E, Preiss B, Bachmann I. Head–Neck Positions in Ridden Horses: Defining Degrees of Flexion and Their Impact on Equine Behavior and Welfare. Int J Equine Sci 2025;4(2):107–124
