Who are the most vocal critics of modern sport dressage?

The critics of modern sport dressage have come from several distinct communities — classical practitioners, equine behavioral scientists, horse welfare advocates, and some current and former international competitors — whose different perspectives converge on shared concerns about the direction the sport has taken. Dr. Gerd Heuschmann, a German veterinarian and rider who trained with classical master Egon von Neindorff, became one of the most widely known critics after publishing Tug of War: Classical Versus Modern Dressage, in which he documented the physical consequences of incorrect training methods — particularly rollkur — with scientific precision and argued that modern competitive dressage had diverged from the classical principles that its rules claim to uphold. His combination of veterinary authority and riding expertise gave his critique particular credibility in a debate that had sometimes been dismissed as classical romanticism disconnected from scientific reality. Dr. Andrew McLean, an Australian equine behavioral scientist, has criticized modern dressage from the perspective of learning theory and animal welfare science, arguing that specific training practices common in modern dressage — including rollkur and hyperflexion — violate principles of ethical training that both behavioral science and classical horsemanship support. Paul Belasik, an American classical dressage trainer and author, has written extensively about the philosophical divergence between classical and modern sport dressage from the perspective of a practitioner committed to the classical tradition. Various veterinarians including those who have published research on the anatomical effects of hyperflexion on the horse's larynx, cervical spine, and poll have contributed scientific documentation of specific welfare concerns. Within the competitive world, some prominent riders and trainers including Kyra Kyrklund have occasionally voiced concerns about competitive trends they consider contrary to the sport's classical foundations.