(Photo Credit: Sharon Packer). Swiss officials have enacted a law prohibiting the use of hyperflexion (also known as rollkur) in that country.

The law applies to competitive events as well as training sessions.

Originally proposed in 2008, the ban was approved in October 2013 and took effect on Jan. 1. Article 21 of the Ordonnance sur la Protection des The new law prohibits “requiring the horse to maintain its head and neck in hyperflexion (rollkur).”

The country’s refers to a description of rollkur provided by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) in the FSVO’s explanatory statement for the law. The FEI describes the practice as “a dressage method compromising the animal’s welfare,” the statement read.

Not all cases which appear to be over-flexion will be pursued.   Some horses, especially stallions with shorter necks, put themselves temporarily in positions that appear to be over-flexion. The new law specifically will address severe cases.

Addressing severe cases is consistent with the FEI’s decision four years ago that distinguished between “low, deep, and round” (LDR) and “rollkur.” In LDR, head and neck position are achieved without force, but “aggressive force” is used to achieve rollkur, according to a Feb. 8, 2010 statement by the FEI following a round-table discussion with industry experts.

While the FEI and several national federations prohibit rollkur in competition horses, leading to sanctions within the federation, the new Swiss law makes the practice a crime of animal abuse at the government level. Penalties have not yet been reported.