Last week, ‘s Spotlight program highlighted the injustices that happened at Ypäjä horse college in its documentary Ypäjä hevohelvetti.
Animal trainer and information writer who wrote about horse training Tuire Kaimio is not surprised by Spotlight’s revelations.
– I think everyone in the industry has seen something like this, Kaimio says.
This is the second documentary dealing with horse abuse in a short period of time.
At the end of January, the dark side of Danish Anders Helgstrand was shown on TV2 and Areena, which told about the unethical and shocking activities of the award-winning and respected rider’s stable.
Based on Spotlight’s research, similar problems have also been observed in Finland. Former or current students interviewed by Svenska said that the college’s staff treated horses violently and taught students to treat horses in the same way. In addition, the documentary told about the bullying that happened at the college.
Kaimio emphasizes that most operators in the field treat their horses well. Along the same lines, there is also an entrepreneur in the horse industry specializing in horse training Anna Kilpeläinen.
– However, there are some bad ones, where the horse’s behavior is misinterpreted as, for example, some kind of deliberate trick against a person, or the person handling the horse gives himself permission to act angry, for example. There are good training methods and operating methods for all training needs, the use of which must be the only approved option, Kilpeläinen emphasizes.
Research knowledge has developed by leaps and bounds
So what is horse abuse? According to the name, exciting or causing pain to animals, whether it remains or not.
– If the animal’s awkward behavior was caused by anything, even the circumstances, there is no right to treat animals violently or to scare them. We’ve come a long way from the time when there was a swamp, a hoe and a horse, and people’s survival in winter depended on whether the horse worked or not.
Kaimio welcomes public discussion of the topic.
– Some of what we are used to doing with horses or even dogs is no longer ethically sustainable today.
Anna Kilpeläinen also refers to the change in operating culture underway in the horse industry. He also emphasizes that research information in the field has increased enormously.
– In recent decades, research information about animals and horses has progressed by leaps and bounds, and that is why it is important that all the operating methods of the horse farm are reviewed and renewed in the light of the information gathered from the research. My own history as a horse professional begins in the early 90s. During that time, the amount and availability of information has increased so much that continuous updating and development really has to be done all the time in your own work and in competence.
Not only on Ypäjä
Mistreatment of horses has not only occurred in Ypäjä. In the spring of 2022, the injustices that occurred in the training center Brahe horse center in Ruukki came to the fore. Former students told how violence had been applied to horses in training situations.
Tuire Kaimio says that students who studied at different educational institutions have been in contact with him over the years.
– In some other places, it has sometimes been the case that students have complained about grievances that have not been taken seriously or have not been clarified. The phenomenon that complaints are not always processed does exist.
Kaimio says that his other colleagues have also received similar messages.
– We have always instructed that if it is a possible animal welfare crime, a criminal report must be filed.
Kaimio sees that many good reforms have been made in the field. For example, professional training in the field has been developed and a well-being working group has been established in the union.
However, he hopes that instead of denying injustices or labeling them as isolated cases, the focus would be on improving injustices, for example by increasing information and showing that ¤ things can also be done in another way.
– Silence is what makes me think sometimes. Maybe it’s a cultural problem that we feel that we can’t intervene in what others are doing. Maybe the fact that people are connected to each other: in order for someone’s horse or rider to go forward, the relationships must be in order.
This is how the union responds
Executive Director of the Finnish Equestrian Association Jukka Koivisto answered Urheilu’s questions about the issues raised by e-mail.
How big a problem is horse abuse in the industry?
It is very important that the violent treatment of horses is highlighted and addressed. by Andreas Helgstrand in the case, the Danish Federation and the International Equestrian Federation have issued penalties, and the Danish authorities are investigating the activity. It is of primary importance to investigate and clarify the claims about ill-treatment of horses presented in the Ypäjän hevohelvetti documentary. The equestrian association, together with other owners, is currently waiting for the Equestrian Academy’s explanation of the events presented in the documentary. Violent treatment or neglect of a horse are animal welfare crimes that must be reported to the supervising veterinarian or the police.
The Finnish Equestrian Association owns 25 percent of the Ypäjä horse school. Did the things presented in the documentary come as a surprise to you?
We have been aware of the well-being problems observed in the company before the current management, which have also been discussed in the media. The Riders’ Association has not received any information about the serious bullying that took place among the students. An explanation has also been requested about that. The current management of Hevosopisto has taken several measures for the well-being of both employees and students, and, for example, there has been an improvement in student satisfaction in recent years, according to research.
What kind of measures have been taken in the union after the documentary?
Together with other owners, the Riders’ Association has made a clarification request to Hevosopist regarding several claims presented in the document. The Riders’ Association has already instructed enthusiasts on its website to contact the association or the authorities, as the case may be, and now an electronic notification channel is also being opened on the website. It is used to make it easier and lower the threshold of the members to report matters that are pressing on their minds.
When I went to get to know and do a follow-up story on the subject, the first interviewees immediately told me that the injustices are not limited to Ypäjä, but that similar messages (students’ concerns about what happened in colleges violent treatment of horses) has come from elsewhere as well. Have you come across such messages?
We do not.
What kind of measures has the association taken (even before the documentary) to ensure the well-being of the horses?
The Equestrian Association, together with other organizations in the horse industry, does continuous preventive work and supervises the handling of horses at its events. The Equestrian Association focuses on responsibility work, continuous evaluation and renewal of competition rules and regulations, training, communication, various control methods and reporting channels to influence the activities of its members to ensure the well-being of horses.
In the competitions organized by the Equestrian Association, officials, stewards and veterinarians monitor the condition of the horses. Competition rules, doping regulations and medical instructions, environmental requirements, training, ethical instructions and disciplinary measures are also for the well-being of the horses. Officials and employees of the Equestrian Association are obliged to intervene in the mistreatment of horses and report it to the public if necessary.
Research is done on the horse’s behavior, the effect of equipment, physiology and other things, the information of which is put into practice. The Equestrian Association has a Horse welfare working group that focuses especially on this. The stable advisors do important joint work with riding schools, and there is fruitful activity between operators in the horse industry. Together, we also influence legislation and regulations on behalf of the horse industry. Professionals in the field have evaluated their activities voluntarily as well as through legislative changes and the general atmosphere, and this work continues.
These unfortunate cases and the discussions they provoked should also be used to increase awareness and to wake people up to look at their own and their immediate environment as well. ¤ activity. Open discussion and versatile methods of operation to ensure the well-being of horses are very important.