I can tell you that the Dressage world is in an uproar. Yesterday I read a post by Horse and Hound that detailed the shocking news that a young woman, Rebekka Klubein had gone to the well known and supposedly highly reputable Helgstrand Stud in Denmark and worked there as a groom. What Andreas Helgstrand did not know was that she had a hidden camera and what she had filmed became a 2 part documentary entitled Operation X the Secrets of the Horse Billionaire that aired on Danish Television November 23 and what she filmed has stunned the equestrian world! Horses being held in hyprflexion of their necks, horses with blood on their mouths, horses with welts from being beaten with whips Rebekka asked some of the othher grooms what they did about the marks from whips and spurs;They told her they cover them with colored cream ( shoe polish) Horse and Hound has had access to the documentary and has seen both epidodes. Investigative journalist Morten Spiegelhauer hosted the documentary and interviewed expert trainers and vets and asked for their opinion about what they saw on the videos. They all agreed it was abusive riding.
He also interviewed one former rider. She told him there were ” a lot of bad expriences at Helgstrand”. She said all employes had to sign a contract blocking them from speaking out about what went on there.” I lied like hell about what it was like to be there because I couldn’t say how awfull it was.” Morten also interviewed a former barn manager and she told him that at Helgstrand Dressage the concept was all about ” selling as much as possible as quickly as possible”.Animal welfare was never discussed.
Also Rebekka said she worked a 47 hour work week for 80 Danish Krone.This is a pittance. There is no mandatory minimum wage in Denmark. She also said that it was common to see grooms and riders in tears.When Rebekka tried to speak to managment about increasing wages and decreasing the hours worked she was told that grooms come and go. New ones could always be found!
For me the worst thing about all this is the proof of horse abuse. These animals did not ask to be forced into painful hyperflexion or to beaten with whips and spurred till their flanks were bleedingl!
“Our lives begin to end on the day when we remain silent and don’t speak out about what mattersl” Martin Luther King.
I was inspired to write this post when I read that quote from MLK. I must speak out about this abuse of these horses. And what will happen now?
For a start Andreas Helgstrand, who has represented Denmark at 8 major Championhips , including being on the bronze medal winning team at the European Championship in September, has been removed from the Danish Dressage team and will be excluded from riding for Denmark and is not allowed to take part in any of the Teams activities. He has also been reported to police for horse abuse
The DRF ( Danish Riding Federation) has asked that the riders whose faces are all blurred in the video to come forward and bring themselves before the disciplinary committee. If they do not do this then the DRF will take measures to identify them and they will be forced to appear before the committee.
Finally all competitions to be hosted by Helgstrand Event will be cancelled.This includes the Danish Championships in May and Championships for Jumping Vaulting and Dressage in June have also been cancelled.
Is this enough? If this can be the start of an end to horses being pushed too much with no regard for their mental or long term physical health, just so they can be sold for huge amounts of money, then this would be a good thing. I have attended the Gala evenings hosted by Helgstrand Dressage at their facility in Wellington Florida.I was not aware as I watched these horses of how they were being treated on a day to day basis. The only thing I thought was that the horses all had what is descirbed as the”auction trot” This is a huge an impressive flashy trot. I do not want to think about how this was achieved.
Just for the record not all trainers employ these methods.The trainers I work with do not. I would not train with them if they did not put the welfare of the horse first and foremost. They always put the horse first and that is how it should be.
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