In a short period of time, two animal protection cases have emerged from horse racing. According to the Itävälla Equestrian Association, Kühner, who is third in the ranking, will compete in the Paris Olympics.
Show jumper representing Austria Max Kühner is accused of violating the German Animal Protection Act and will face trial after the Paris Olympics, reports include German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine.
Kühner, who is ranked third in the world statistics, is accused of training his horse using a prohibited method, where the rider kicks his horse’s legs while crossing an obstacle. The purpose is to get the horse to lift its legs higher. The case in question is from May 2023.
According to the Austrian Equestrian Federation, the legal case has no impact on Kühner’s participation in Paris. The World Equestrian Federation FEI was initially unaware of the incident, but on Thursday the president Ingmar de Vos commented on the matter in Paris, saying that the FEI had asked the Austrian federation for information on the incident.
The German-born Kühner, 50, has represented Austria since 2015. He has not commented on the case directly, but announced through the federation that he considers all accusations unfounded. Kühner has also been accused of animal cruelty in 2008, but at that time the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Great Britain’s dressage hope for success Charlotte Dujardin withdraws from the Paris Olympics. The FEI launched an investigation into a video filmed four years ago in which Dujardin whips his horse’s legs.
The qualifying event for the steeplechase team competition is scheduled for Thursday next week and the final competition for Friday. The qualifying for the personal competition will take place on Monday, August 5. Final competition on Tuesday, August 6.