There has been new movement in the affair about allegedly illegal parallel bars for show jumpers on the farm of four-time Olympic champion Ludger Beerbaum in Riesenbeck.
After the TV broadcaster RTL made further unpublished material available to the German Equestrian Federation FN, FN Secretary General Soenke Lauterbach stated that “Parts of the documented events clearly do not correspond to our description of the touching. For example, a backswing can be seen before the touching bar touches the horse’s legs.”
RTL had given the FN a multi-minute compilation of various video sequences. So far, the FN had only been shown a few seconds of short and pixelated scenes on one occasion. The location and people involved could not be identified. The FN has now checked the longer, non-pixelated compilation to see whether the scenes shown correspond to the description of touching that is formulated in the Guidelines for Riding and Driving Volume 2.
With regard to association regulatory procedures, the FN is now further examining whether the allegations of a violation of the Performance Examination Regulations (LPO) result from the images. Concrete actions are described therein and only these can be substantiated by the FN with a disciplinary measure. In addition to the question of whether such actions exist, it is also examined who the people involved in the video are.
The Disciplinary Commission of the FN is responsible for regulatory procedures. The Disciplinary Commission is an honorary body made up of independent legal experts. At the end of a disciplinary procedure, the Disciplinary Commission decides whether a violation has been proven and whether a disciplinary measure is imposed. A disciplinary measure can be, for example, a fine or an exclusion from participation in tournaments.
State proceedings by the public prosecutor’s office or veterinary authorities for a possible violation of the Animal Welfare Act are independent of the association’s regulatory proceedings. The FN had already pointed out the television report to the public prosecutor’s office last week. The video material provided by RTL also shows scenes from a rural horse show. These are also currently being reviewed to determine whether regulatory procedures need to be initiated.
Among other things, the animal rights organization PETA had filed a criminal complaint against Beerbaum and another unknown person with the Münster public prosecutor’s office for tormenting animal abuse and complicity. Beerbaum has denied the allegations and announced legal action.
In the “RTL extra” program, evidence was to be provided on the basis of secretly shot video recordings that the illegal ingot was being used on the Beerbaum property. Whether the rider on the video images is actually Ludger Beerbaum cannot be determined with absolute certainty. However, it can be seen that a man kneeling behind an obstacle pulls up a long slat at the level of the front legs when the horse jumps off.
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