In November 2023, a TV documentary shows that horses were mistreated in the stable of the Danish dressage rider Andreas Helgstrand. There are quick sanctions from the associations. Now the rider speaks in person for the first time.
The images caused shock: film footage of horses with bleeding wounds caused by massive use of spurs and bits, whip marks and aggressive riding by riders in the Helgstrand stable Dressage. Owner and dressage rider Andreas Helgstrand, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in Beijing, was expelled from the national team by the Danish Equestrian Federation the day after the broadcast in November.
In addition, the collaboration with his company Helgstrand Events, which hosts a series of high-profile tournaments, ended. The rider himself was banned from competing until at least January 1, 2025. Helgstrand will therefore not be able to take part in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Helgstrand calls incidents unacceptable
Until now, Andreas Helgstrand had only written a statement on his website Homepage expressed. Now, for the first time, he has answered questions about the frightening footage from his stable. The ARD equestrian sports Instagram channel, @diemitdenpferden, asked Andreas Helgstrand questions in writing, which he answered via video. “In the documentation you see examples of poor treatment of horses. This is unacceptable” says Helgstrand.
The Danish journalist Rebekah Klubien, who secretly infiltrated his stable as a nurse for the TV documentary, emphasizes that the excerpts shown in the documentary are not isolated cases. In the nine hours of video material that she filmed in the riding arena, these were just a few examples out of many, says Klubien: “It’s not just one rider, there are many and they all ride right next to each other. It wasn’t just this one day that was bad.”
Helgstrand promises improvements
However, the rider left unanswered the question of how he explained that mistreatment of horses occurred frequently in his stable when this clearly violated the alleged guidelines of Helgstrand Dressage. Instead, he explains that the pictures come from January 2023. They have “spent the last year making improvements”.
For example, he has hired a manager at his facilities who checks all the horses every two weeks. In addition, additional veterinary checks are ordered, which should take place three to five times a year.
“We have also introduced CCTV at all three locations to ensure everyone is riding their horses properly and so we can discuss later whether we can improve anything.”says Helgstrand. They are also planning a learning platform and a Onboarding-Process to sensitize new employees to the new policies and code of conduct.
There have been allegations against Helgstrand before
In his answers, Andreas Helgstrand tries to convey the impression of an insightful person who wants to make everything better now. He repeatedly emphasizes that the welfare of the horses is an absolute priority. However, there have been repeated allegations against Helgstrand for mistreating horses in the past.
In 2014, for example, photos that were taken by the Internet TV station Epona TV as part of an open day at Helgstrand’s facility caused a stir. You could see a clear purple discoloration of the tongue of his horse “Akeem Foldager” due to the use of a curb.
What are the rules in Germany?
In Germany, in a comparable case, it would not be possible to simply exclude a rider from the national team, as the Danish association did with Helgstrand.
The German Equestrian Association (FN) also allows sanctions if violations occur during training, but it must be proven that the person committed the violation themselves or promoted it, says legal advisor Dr. Constanze Winter. “Then we could issue disciplinary measures: suspensions, tournament bans or a fine.”
The silence of the riding scene
The Helgstrand case did not cause a major outcry in the equestrian scene. Hardly anyone wants to comment publicly on the mistreatment of the horses shown in the documentary. The Instagram channel @diemitdenpferden asked the six riders of the German dressage squad for a statement – in vain.
One person who has already dared to break through the wall of silence is the eventing rider Julia Mestern. In January 2022, the television station RTL showed video sequences that were supposed to show Ludger Beerbaum doing parallel bars. However, this could not be clearly proven. At the time, Mestern was one of the few to publicly criticize the training approach – and received a lot of support.
“Many people supported it, including from the equestrian scene, who perhaps didn’t dare do it themselves.” The reason, Mestern suspects, is the power structures in equestrian sport and the associated possible influence on tournament judges. “Accordingly, one could ensure, for example, that the next start of the tournament is not quite as successful.”
Million dollar business with top horses
You can make a lot of money with top horses. Helgstrand has also made a good living by training dressage horses and selling them all over the world. In 2022 he is said to have sold horses all over the world for around 71 million euros.
“A top horse must be in top physical and psychological condition to perform. We need to talk about the welfare of horses”, Helgstrand now emphasizes. If this industry wanted to survive, the welfare of the horse would be the most important issue. Helgstrand will now have to be measured against these statements. Because the pictures from his stable speak a different language.