The broadcaster RTL showed on Tuesday (January 11th, 2022) video recordings that an insider allegedly leaked to the broadcaster. It shows in four sequences how a rider on the Beerbaum facility jumps over an obstacle while an employee hits the front legs of the horse with a bar.
The allegation: The pictures showed “parallel bars”, a prohibited training method. It inflicts severe pain on the horse and violates the Animal Welfare Act. The aim of the method is to get the horses to jump more carefully or higher. As early as 1990 there was a scandal over the “barring” method – at that time rider Paul Schockemöhle was at the center of the affair.
Beerbaum defends himself against the allegations
The multiple world and Olympic champion Ludger Beerbaum commented on the allegations in writing on Wednesday (January 12th, 2022). The contribution is in several points “false, defamatory and defamatory“. The 58-year-old writes in the press release:”The scenes shown in the article on the riding arena have nothing to do with parallel bars. It is about permitted touching that was carried out by an experienced, experienced horse specialist. The object seen in the video met the requirements of the German Equestrian Association for permissible touching: no longer than three meters, a maximum of two kilograms in weight. “Beerbaum also announced legal steps:”It is unacceptable that there was secret filming on my private property.”
“Touching” is allowed – however, knobbed bars are not
In fact, “touching” is allowed according to the rules of the FN (German Equestrian Association). The guidelines state: “Touching is a professional sensitization of the horse through targeted touching of the horse’s legs during the jump process. “The horse should be stimulated with the touch rod to increase the permeability and coordination.”The structure of the rod must be round, with a smooth surface made of non-splintering material. However, it must not be made of metal. “The training aid should only be used in a very dosed manner. In addition, poles with knobs were shown in the article. The use of such poles in jumping training is prohibited.
According to Ludger Beerbaum: “These come from a purchased inventory of obstacles and have been sorted out so that they are not used. They are also not used when training with horses. How one of these parts, polished and clean, gets between the common obstacle poles, I can only speculate. For me it is obvious that one of these poles was placed there explicitly for the contribution.“