Herning: A Celebration of Horse Sport, Yet (Danish) Dressage in a Fragile State

The 2025 Danish warmblood licensing in Herning was a major celebration of horse breeding and sport. Hosted by Dansk Varmblod the seven-day show featured the stallion licensing, a 5-year old dressage horse championship, an array of CDI and CSI classes, and a celebrated gala show that sells out year after year.

On Monday Dansk Varmblood proudly communicated that almost 61,000 spectators attended the event. No other horse show, except for the World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen, annually brings together a bigger crowd

"The Big Rehabilitation Show"?

The show was a major success for Danish horse dealer Andreas Helgstrand, who sponsored classes, saw two handfuls of stallions licensed including the champion (Dynamic Dancer), and made an international winning come back after his one-year suspension for alleged horse abuse by his employees as revealed by the Operation X documentary. Dutch equestrian magazine De Paardenkrant called Herning "a big rehabilitation show."

The hired announcer catered to the need of presenting a positive picture of the sport. High on joy, he praised each dressage combination coming out of the arena, stressing their brilliant partnership with the horse, even when a ride was below par or tension-fraught. In depth knowledge of dressage seemed absent in his cheerful voice. 

With crowds clapping and cheering and offering standing ovations to their favourites Herning gave the impression that all is fine and dandy in the horse world after "set-backs" in 2024 whith Operation X, bad publicity of 'blue tongue' photos in Scandinavian mainstream media, and the major reputational damage Charlotte Dujardin's whipping video caused.

Has dressage weathered the storm or is it, in fact, in the eye of hurricane?

Open Wound

Herning created a haze of optimism with its droves of horse lovers attending the event. The popularity of the show proved how deeply woven these animals are in the fabric of Danish (and European) society. However, in the background bigger cogs are churning. 

Journalist Pippa Cuckson reported on Horse Sport that a group of veterinary researchers has lodged complaints with the FEI about seven top-placed riders at the World Cup qualifiers in Amsterdam and Neumunster, putting extra pressure on the FEI to review the effect of double bridle use in dressage. They have also sent an explanatory letter to the FEI, openly copied to the riders’ national federations, the International Olympic Committee, and members of the European Parliament who have called for more protections for sport horses. 

"It is nothing new for the FEI to be sent photographs by members of public and welfare campaigners showing alleged blue tongues or other issues," Cuckson wrote. "But this is the first time a group of distinguished equine scientists have jointly put their names to complaints about specific riders."

This letter prompted Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet to write, "horses owned by Lego billionaires are being subjected to torture, according to an international panel."

Blue Hors Backs Out

One day after Herning Blue Hors stud announced that its two riders - Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Sophia Ludvigsen - would no longer be participating in competitions for a minimum three-month period "while the Danish equestrian Federation redrafts the guidelines."

The announcement raised eye brows with those not closely following the sport, but the decision comes as no surprise as Blue Hors has been under targeted attack.  Ekstra Bladet pumped out an article featuring Merrald, just like the Swedish magazine Aftonbladet did a year ago on a similar topic. Blue Hors' sport embargo also succeeds the publication of photos of a horse with whip welts on a Danish Instagram account, allegings the whipping was done by a Blue Hors member several years ago. Blue Hors stud is owned by the Kirk Kristiansen family, owners of Lego. They continue to support their riders but have taken a step back from the public spotlight amidst the storm.

Merrald is currently standing 6th on the Western European League ranking for the 2025 World Cup Finals and was close to clinching a ticket to Basel with only one qualifier in Den Bosch to go this week. The organizing committee of the World Cup Finals in Basel announced a zero tolerance of horse abuse and hired new equine ethics organisation R-haltenswert to monitor the warm-ups alongside the FEI stewards. With this action Basel exposes a lack of confidence in the FEI Stewarding system to handle the matter.

Pressure From Above

Blue Hors' decision seems prompted by a bigger change in store in Denmark. The federation is drafting new guidelines on the use of horses in sport and this is being done under much pressure of politicians and legislators.

Well before the airing of Operation X  the Danish Animal Ethics Council began drafting a set of recommendations, which were very well received at the Horse Welfare Forum. After Operation X, Danish horse welfare activists at Epona TV accelerated thzir campaign and grabbed the attention of Jacob Jensen, Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries as well as that of Niels Fuglsang, Member of the European Parliament, who wants to raise the issues at EU level and question whether dressage should be an Olympic discipline. FEI president Ingmar De Vos held a meeting in Brussels with MP Niels Fuglsang and blamed the state of affairs on the judges saying "we want to see again horses doing natural movements in a happy setting, relaxed and not too stressful. We are working on that. Our judges will have learn because how did we get there is out because our judges wanted to see more spectacular things." De Vos concluded at this meeting, "a dressage rider is showing what the judge wants to see and the judge translates that in high marks or low marks."

It led to the Ethics Council re-writing a new version of even stricter recommendations that have been officially sent to Ministry of Food and Agriculture in December 2024.  These recommendations included a ban on the use of bits "that pose a significant risk of cutting off the blood supply to the horse's tongue," referring to the curb (double bridle). It also wants a strict measurement of looser nosebands and a ban on using spurs and whips with a force "that has the character of blows and kicks."

Ekstra Bladet interviewed a rider who said it would create an unlevel field of play for Danish athletes. Denmark is the reigning team World Champion and got silver at the Paris Olympics. If the curb bit were to be banned in Denmark from higher up, Danish riders would be the first not allowed to train and compete in the bridle, while at CDI competitions the double bridle is still mandatory at Grand Prix level.

Minister Jensen has summoned the Danish Equestrian Federation to get its act together, hence the drafting of the guidelines. The DRF better gets it right this time, otherwise critical decisions for the sport could be made from above.

Next Target

On Thursday 13 March 2025 Cathrine Dufour was the next target in Ekstra Bladet, which posted pictures of Freestyle's open mouth in her World Cup win in Gothenburg. In the article Mette Uldahl, senior consultant in Horses & Animal Welfare for Animal Protection, speculates that she might see a pinched and slightly discoloured tongue, as well as notices excessive foam which "may or may not be" artificial.

Due to Ekstra Bladet's enquiry, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour asked Danish elite sport manager Wolfram Wittig and team leader Anne-Mette Binder to review her and Freestyle's ride in Gothenburg.

Ekstra Bladet quoted Wittig and Binder, who stated it is not possible to see if the tongue is discolored. "However, we must remember that there is not yet sufficient evidence to show whether discolorations are an expression of discomfort. We know, among other things, from elite athletes who are in very good physical shape that they can exhibit bluish fingertips and lips because they transport more oxygen and carbon dioxide around in the blood, they write and conclude by saying that the Danish Equestrian Federation does not want to compromise the well-being of the horses."

Indignation

Ekstra Bladet's offence against Denmark's darling of dressage and the World Nr 1 ranked rider became a bridge too far.

Riders took to social media in masses posting their support of Dufour and called Ekstra Bladet's coverage a "witch hunt), which Dufour reshared on her popular channel with 336,000 followers. The Danish Equestrian Federation issued a statement on 13 March iterating that "DRF's expert group has previously explained that it is not possible to determine whether a horse's welfare is compromised based on still images alone" (...). A picture captures a split second of a ride and does not give a true picture of the whole and a horse's well-being."

DRF debunks the allegation that the horse " is seen wearing so-called ear caps that block (the movement of) the ears, which is why the ears are in the same position in all the pictures." DRF writes, "this is completely wrong and a grossly undocumented claim. The horse's ears can move freely throughout the entire ride, which is also seen in the video footage from Gothenburg, where there is slight ear play during several exercises and the prize presentation. Ear caps are used solely to dampen noise from the audience, and if they restricted the movement of the ears, it would result in immediate disqualification. The FEI stewards have carried out the mandatory equipment check after the ride and did not find any complaints. So it is a false claim. The claim that artificial foam was used is also completely false and a grossly unsubstantiated claim and was also checked by the FEI stewards. Any form of manipulation would lead to immediate disqualification, which has not been the case."

On the same day, the Danish Riding Instructor Association took to Facebook and stated, "now it's enough. We want a factual debate on horse welfare, not personal attacks. (...) The video footage from the ride with Cathrine in Gothenburg shows a horse working in balance and harmony with its rider. This is first and foremost an important indicator of horse welfare that we believe should form the basis of assessments, not isolated images without context."

In the absence of Kimi Nielsen, who is on holiday, interim director Jens-Erik Majlund stated in the DRF press release, "it is important that the process and debate are not based on undocumented claims and accusations, as this will ultimately not benefit the welfare and well-being of horses. The debate must be conducted on a professional and evidence-based basis and it is directly misleading to conclude on still images without video documentation."

The  Oil Tanker

Even though the FEI has been wading through these murky waters for more than a year, no clear answer has been found except for setting up another working group with the same old faces. The noseband measurement tool is a right step forward but the shipping and delivery of the tool  has been delayed and FEI stewards are supposed to apply it as of 1 May 2025.  This is going to be a hoot!

The social licence to operate due to animal welfare issues is nearing a critical stage and judges suddenly seem to realise they play a vital part.  At an FEI 5* Judges Meeting in Basel (SUI) at the start of February 2025  the future of dressage judging was discussed. The welfare bell was a hot topic which judges applied frequently the past month to eliminate combinations; not because of lameness but because the horse or rider are not up for the day's challenge (tension, extreme spookiness, competing above their level, etc.). Unfortunately the big names and lesser gods are not treated equally and it's the small ants that got rung out while the big name professionals carry on, as they make it looks less amateurish.

Not just the ringing of the bell has to be stricter, but as the guardians of classical dressage, good horsemanship and the sport, judges need to adopt their scoring more strictly to the FEI Judges Manuel. Tense open mouths, tongues showing, frozen mouths due to extremely tight nosebands and unevenness in the gaits need to be consistently down-scored. For the judges it seems to be a hard ask and many hang on to their old habits, while others are brave, sticking out their neck for a new way of scoring and then get derided by colleagues. Change is difficult for all: for the riders to accept it, for the judges to do it, for the audience to understand it. 

A clear example of this bi-polar situation in contemporary judging was to be seen in the 3* Grand Prix in Herning, where British Annabella Pidgley got scores between 62.283% to 71.43% for her ride on Vamos Amigos.  The pair clearly struggled in the trot part with the horse tense and running away. There were many uneven steps, a lateral walk, and the horse behind the vertical in canter. There were also  beautiful parts with the sharp passage, rhythmical transitions, and fault-free tempi lines. The big score difference exposed how difficult it is for judging system to change. The cry to "judge what you see" seems simple, but in the land of the blind, one-eye is king.

Navigating the sport in another direction and into future is like an oil tanker changing course. Let's hope it is not the Ever Given.

Fragile State

Dressage has hit the mainstream as an abusive sport and for dressage lovers it is frustrating that this beautiful discipline is being targeted. Insiders know the abuse in endurance, reining and jumping is far worse, but there is no room for whataboutism. 

Dressage needs to be the pilgrim. As the foundation to all horse riding, dressage needs to lead the way in showing that there can be a form of dressage that is acceptable and sustainable in the public eye as a sport.

The major challenge we now face is defining what ethical treatment of horses is. What is ethical to one person is abuse to another and at its core level in modern day society there will always be an argument against any use of animals in sport. 

The ethics of horsemanship come from within. Elevating training and horsemanship beyond mere sport is an essential task at hand. The FEI needs to skippity hop and assist national federations in a much more urgent manner by setting up clear definitions of what ethical use is and a framework for ethical horse training. The judges and stewards need to pull their weight too, retrain themselves to live up to a new standard of what is acceptable and desirable in the show ring.

Remarkably, yesterday 13 March 2024 at the CDI-W 's Hertogenbosch it was communicated in a riders' meeting behind closed doors that the measurement tool will only be used for "random checks" and not consistently applied on every horse/pony at CDI's.

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