Helgstrand Dressage will not host apprenticeship coaching – as it’s showed Andreas Helgstrand will omit Paris 2024, and he and 3 others are excluded from the Danish driving trainer affiliation Dansk Experience-Instruktør Forening (DRIF).
The fallout from the new broadcast of TV2’s documentary Operation X: The Secrets and techniques of the Horse Billionaire, filmed undercover at Helgstrand Dressage, has persevered this week.
The 2-part documentary, hosted via investigative journalist Morten Spiegelhau, used to be filmed via reporter Rebekka Klubien who posed as a groom on the strong in January. Pictures confirmed horses being skilled in rollkur (hyperflexion), and integrated interviews with Helgstrand personnel about horses ceaselessly being noticed with whip and spur marks, or bleeding from the mouth.
It used to be first introduced via the Danish federation Dansk Experience Forbund (DRF) on 22 November that on account of the photos Andreas were excluded from the nationwide workforce and workforce actions. In an replace, following an government board assembly on Tuesday (28 November), it used to be introduced that this exclusion will run “a minimum of” till 31 December 2024.
“This implies, amongst different issues, that Andreas Helgstrand might not be thought to be for the Olympic workforce in reference to the Olympics in Paris 2024,” stated the spokesman.
“Moreover, the manager board made up our minds to file Andreas to the nationwide federation’s disciplinary committee for breaching the affiliation’s common provisions and pointers for the ethically proper use of horses for equestrian sports activities.”
The spokesman added that everybody who owns horses registered for festival beneath DRF has an obligation to conform to the federation’s laws, laws and pointers.
Andreas advised H&H he had “at all times been happy with representing Denmark at the nationwide workforce, together with the chance to possibly constitute Denmark on the Olympics.”
“Subsequently, I’m after all very disheartened via DRF’s resolution,” he stated.
“I take into accout of the verdict, and we can proceed the discussion with the affiliation on how we now have tightened our processes and progressed our animal welfare over the last yr. This will likely let us display and spotlight our issues of development.”
DRF in the past requested any Helgstrand Dressage riders filmed within the documentary to come back ahead to stand the federation’s disciplinary committee. The day before today (30 November), the DRIF held an odd common assembly and introduced that 4 contributors from Helgstrand Dressage have now been excluded from the affiliation; Andreas Helgstrand, Thomas Sigtenbjerggaard, Maria Anita Andersen and Ole Hummelshøj.
“It’ll then be as much as a long term common assembly whether or not they may be able to be admitted to the affiliation once more,” learn a DRIF board remark.
H&H has approached Thomas, Maria and Ole for remark.
Nowadays (1 December) Helgstrand Dressage issued a remark and stated it had gained realize from DRF and DRIF that the organisations are “terminating our cooperation settlement as an apprenticeship coaching website online for the grasp rider schooling as of 31 December”.
“We’re, after all, extremely unhappy about this resolution. We’re extraordinarily happy with our pupil grasp riders, and we imagine them shut and professional colleagues,” learn the remark.
“The photos from TV2 has made an overly large influence. We remember that there will have to be a response to the photographs proven in Operation X. Now we have completed so ourselves. Subsequently, we now have prolonged an open invitation to each DRF and DRIF for a discussion and to talk over with Helgstrand Dressage to look firsthand what our observe is like as an apprenticeship and the way we now have progressed lots of our stipulations over the last yr.”
The remark added that the strong is “very disillusioned” that neither DRF or DRIF had authorized the invitation.
“Our invitation stays open; each are welcome to drop via – additionally unannounced, the place they may be able to make the vital inspections of horses, coaching, and scholars,” it learn.
“We can, after all, do the entirety we will to proceed the discussion in order that we will proceed to welcome our proficient scholars again to Helgstrand Dressage, the place we’re assured that we will be offering a excellent apprenticeship with wholesome values and a powerful group.”
A DRIF spokesman advised H&H the verdict to terminate the cooperation settlement used to be taken via a committee comprising contributors of the federation and DRIF, and this used to be earlier than the verdict to exclude Andreas, Thomas, Maria and Ole from the affiliation.
Final week in keeping with the printed, the FEI stated it takes “all allegations of horse abuse very critically” and that it’ll collaborate carefully with DRF. An FEI spokesman advised H&H there is not any replace.
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Credit score: TV2
Credit score: TV2
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