At the CHIO Aachen, the stallion Allstar B was seriously injured on an obstacle and had to be put down. Animal rights activists are again calling for the complete abolition of equestrian sports.
The CHIO in Aachen, one of the world’s most important equestrian tournaments, sees itself as the “World Equestrian Festival”. But this year’s edition was overshadowed by a serious accident: The horse Allstar B of the British eventing rider Rosalind Canter was so badly injured on an obstacle that it had to be put down.
The tragic case has rekindled the debate about animal welfare in equestrian sport. The animal welfare organization PETA is therefore calling for equestrian sports to be completely abolished: “The tragic events at the CHIO were not isolated cases. Horses are repeatedly ridden to death at tournaments because the riders see them as mere sports equipment,” said speaker Peter Höffken. “Today, equestrian sport has lost all legitimacy because it is carried out on the backs of involuntary participants.” PETA called on the federal government to “ban high-performance tournaments in all equestrian disciplines”.
CHIO Aachen: Serious injury in eventing
The accident at the CHIO happened during cross-country eventing. World Champion horse Allstar B hit an obstacle with his left front leg and was then unable to put weight on his leg. The rider immediately dismounted, a screen was erected and the horse was taken away. It then had to be euthanized in a clinic: It was no longer possible to allow the animal to live a pain-free life, said Friedrich Wilhelm Hanbücken, head of the veterinary commission at the tournament.
The shock was deep for everyone involved. “There are no words to express the love and respect I have for Alby,” said rider Rosalind Canter, 2018 double world eventing champion. “He has played a huge role in building my career and will be missed by many. ” Tournament director Frank Kempermann explained: “Something like this hasn’t happened in Aachen for a long time.”
The discussion about animal cruelty in equestrian sport is not new. Most recently, the handling of the German athlete Annika Schleu with a horse caused harsh criticism: At the Olympic Games last year, the modern pentathlete tried to bring the unruly animal to reason with spurs and whip. The gelding owned by a Swiss rider had to be put down after being injured in the competition. The world association UIPM then announced that it would remove the show jumping discipline from the program.
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Source: Stern
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