Denmark defends dressage world title despite horse welfare criticism

Denmark’s reigning world champions will begin defending their dressage title in Aachen, Germany, on Tuesday against a backdrop of renewed criticism over horse welfare, DR reports.

World number one Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour will compete alongside Carina Cassøe Krüth, Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Nadja Aabo Sloth.

The sport faced a crisis during the 2024 Paris Olympics after images circulated internationally showing dressage horses with blue tongues. The colouring was described as a sign that the horses’ bits had been tightened too much, causing a lack of oxygen.

Before the Olympics, Cassøe Krüth withdrew from the Danish team after a training video showed her using a whip on a horse. Later in 2024, dressage rider Andreas Helgstrand accepted responsibility for mistreatment of horses at his billion-kroner business following an investigative TV 2 documentary.

The Danish Equestrian Federation says the cases have led to changes in the sport. It has introduced new ethical guidelines for treating horses, revised judging formats that place greater emphasis on relaxation, harmony and suppleness, and new sanctions for rule violations.

Jens-Erik Majlund, the federation’s secretary general, said the changes would be visible at the world championships.

“We are going to see much more contented horses,” he said.

However, the new judging criteria used in Denmark do not apply at the world championships. Majlund said Danish riders could still benefit from their changed approach, arguing that it produces better performances.

Dyrenes Beskyttelse, an animal welfare organisation, says the changes do not go far enough. Anne Sofie Meilvang, a biologist and consultant for the organisation’s international work and animal welfare efforts, said horses at competitions could still be seen as stressed or in pain.

“As far as we are concerned, not enough has happened,” she said. “We keep seeing images from these competitions of horses that do not want to be there, that are stressed or in pain.”

Meilvang said the debate had helped move the sport in the right direction, but called for concrete action, including legislation, preferably at international level. She said this should include rules on how often horses may compete.

Danish Member of the European Parliament Niels Fuglsang, who chairs an animal welfare group, also said the sport’s own organisations were not doing enough. He called dressage a sport in crisis and said binding rules were needed rather than guidelines.

Fuglsang said common European rules could have an effect, while the Danish Equestrian Federation has warned that agreeing on common international rules could be difficult because attitudes to animal ethics differ between regions.