Update: Andreas Helgstrand will be banned from riding on the Danish national dressage team until at least Jan. 1, 2025, the Danish equestrian federation decided in a special meeting Nov. 28, according to a report by Danish newspaper Nordjyske. 

Olympic medalist Andreas Helgstrand has been removed from the Danish national dressage team, with no timeline for possible reinstatement, following last week’s airing of an investigative television program that documented welfare issues at Helgstrand Dressage, his sales and training facility. [Editor’s note: Helgstrand Dressage is owned by Global Equestrian Group, which also owns The Chronicle of the Horse.]

In the two episodes of “Operation X: Secrets Of The Horse Billionaire,” journalist Rebekka Klubien went undercover as a groom to see firsthand the daily operations at the Danish base of Helgstrand Dressage, which also has outposts in Germany and Florida. Inside the barn the journalist found horses with welts from whips, mouth sores that were not given time to heal, and spur marks that were disguised with shoe polish when customers visited. She also filmed Helgstrand riders who rode aggressively in training sessions, some with tight draw reins and some using rollkur. The program aired on Danish national televisions station TV2.

When Klubien showed the stable manager spur marks on one of the horses, she was told that the person would “keep an eye on it” and that the rider could continue to ride the horse with spurs. When Klubien discussed the situation with other grooms, they confirmed it wasn’t out of the ordinary. When she told another groom about “stripes” from a whip on a horse’s back, the response Klubien received from another groom—whose voice was disguised and face blurred out in the video—was that it was not unusual. The person suggested that if customers came into the stable, a blanket could be used to cover the marks.

At the end of the second episode, Klubien confronted Helgstrand about the harsh riding techniques she saw.

“A horse must be reprimanded a little,” he told her, while being recorded on hidden camera. “You must tell it, you must go there. If you ride around on a long rein and are nice, it doesn’t understand.”

Operation X host Morten Spiegelhauer also interviewed several past employees at Helgstrand as part of the program, as well as equine veterinarian Heidi Nielsen; a veteran coach John Randskov, who is also vice-chair of a horse protection charity; and former Danish national team rider Susan Kjærgård. All expressed disapproval at the videos taken at the facility.  

Helgstrand Dressage unsuccessfully sued TV2 in an attempt to prevent the footage from being aired. After a court ruled Nov. 17 that the program could go forward, it aired Wednesday, Nov. 22.

The board of the Danish National Federation, the Dansk Ride Forbund, met the day the footage was released and announced its decision to sanction Helgstrand.

“The board of DRF strongly distances itself from the unacceptable methods of riding, training, and treating horses the broadcasts clearly show,” DRF stated in a press release. “Therefore, it is now clear, that Andreas Helgstrand, based on the broadcasts, can no longer represent the Danish equestrian federation as a national team rider. As a national team rider, you are, among other things, obliged, according to the sports plan, to comply with our Code of Conduct, guidelines for ethically correct use of horses for equestrian sports as well as act as good role models.”

A representative of the DRF said in an email that the decision to sanction Helgstrand will stand “for the time being,” while a case in front of the DRF disciplinary committee is resolved. That is expected to take at least three months, the representative said.

Helgstrand’s father, Ulf Helgstrand, served as the chairman of the DRF until he went on leave in September in the wake of Andreas being disqualified from the Danish national championships due to a medication violation with his mount Jovian. Jakob Ravnsbo now serves as acting chairman.

DRF also announced last week that it will cease all collaboration with Helgstrand Events, including hosting the Danish national championships for seniors, under-25 and para-dressage riders scheduled for May 2024 and the Nordic Baltic Championships for dressage, show jumping, para-dressage and vaulting scheduled for June 2024.

The DRF has asked the Fédération Equestre Internationale to do the same, and “reassess the agreement based on the two broadcasts,” for an upcoming FEI Nations Cup scheduled in May 2024.

“The FEI takes all allegations of horse abuse very seriously and at all times the welfare of the horse must be paramount,” the FEI said in a statement issued following the release of the program.

“The FEI will however collaborate closely with the Danish National Federation, and there is a mutual recognition of decisions and any sanctions imposed,” the statement read. “We will continue to communicate as the situation develops, and want to assure the equestrian community, our stakeholders and the public, that we are rigorously addressing this issue.”

Helgstrand Dressage released a statement immediately following the program, and before Andreas was sanctioned by the DRF.

“What we see in TV 2’s footage makes a big impression on us,” it read. “It is not okay. It is poor riding and treatment of horses that we do not want to see at Helgstrand Dressage. It does not live up to our guidelines and values, and it is not representative of our culture. We need to correct this.

“We can see that some of our training equipment has been used incorrectly in the recordings,” the statement continues. “It should guide and correct the horse, but it should never be used as punishment. We would like to make it clear that rollkur and excessive use of whip or draw reins are not accepted by us. The same applies to covering spur marks with colored cream. Therefore, we have made it clear that no form of colored cream is accepted by us. We acknowledge that our horses may occasionally have sores in the mouth. This can be from biting themselves in the mouth or the tongue or grinding their teeth. That said, no horse should be ridden with sores that require care and rest. We have since introduced a thorough check of our horses every 14 days, where our stable managers assess the physical and mental condition of the horses.”