At the Tokyo Olympic Games yesterday, German athlete Annika Schleu set out on the equestrian stage of the modern pentathlon in tears astride a clearly distressed horse called Saint Boy. Heartbreaking scenes, but footage reviewed afterwards showed something far more shocking: event coach Kim Raisner appearing to strike Saint Boy with her fist in an attempt to control him and telling Schleu to whip him harder.

The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), the body that governs all modern pentathlons including at the Olympics, and Germany’s Olympic team were both quick to issue statements condemning Raisner and removing her from the games, yet for all their talk of animal welfare, the implications of what transpired are incredibly disturbing.

It stands to reason that if a world-class coach thought that it was appropriate to hit a horse at the Olympic Games - the ultimate sporting arena with the highest standards of athleticism and professionalism - then that must be normalised behaviour and indicative of what happens at other levels of equestrianism, far from the gaze of spectators and cameras.

Supporters of competitive horse riding would be quick to point out the unique circumstances of this case. In the modern pentathlon, athletes - who also shoot, swim, run and fence - must ride an unfamiliar horse and are given only a short time immediately prior to the showjumping stage to form any kind of bond. It is little wonder then that some horses do not take well to their riders, yet this is deemed to be a skill of the event, as in the athlete’s ability to control a randomly assigned horse.

The reason for this is history and yet another example of tradition being at the root of animal exploitation. The precise origin of the modern pentathlon is disputed, but according to the UIPM, the version we know today was based on the pentathlon of the ancient Olympics that comprised of events to test a man’s fortitude as a soldier - stamina, jumping, throwing a spear, discus and wrestling. According to the New York Times, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the Modern Olympics in the late 1800s, wanted to create a modern version in the same spirit and so chose contemporary sports to simulate the experience of a 19th-century cavalry soldier behind enemy lines: pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, running and riding an unfamiliar horse.

The ideal athlete it may produce, but as yesterday’s events showed, their moral qualities leave much to be desired. We wonder whether de Coubertin would be pleased with the damage done to the reputation of the games he founded more than a century ago.

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In light of revelations that Sweet Boy had refused to ride for a Russian athlete earlier in the day, there have been many calls for the rules to be changed to allow athletes to ride horses with whom they share a bond. So far the UIPM has not answered those calls, only going as far as to blame Raisner rather than the broken system that is really at fault. Add to this that it is in fact the UIPM’s responsibility to assess and provide horses that it deems fit to be ridden, yet there was no admission of culpability from the event’s preeminent worldwide authority. 

Alfons Hoermann, Germany Olympic team chief, speaking at a press conference yesterday, joined those calls for the event rules to be changed, but at the same time revealed that there were more disturbing incidents that so far have yet to be reported elsewhere:

“The international rules need an urgent overhaul,” said Hoermann. “The numerous occasions at the competition yesterday, from literally the first to the last rider, are, we believe, unacceptable. They endanger animal welfare and therefore damage the reputation of the sport and the sports men [sic.] and women.”

Let that sink in for a moment - from the first to the last rider. Not just Raisner and Schleu, not just Saint Boy, but every horse in the women’s event that day. This begs the question of whether or not the present system can protect horses if abuse like this at the very highest level is so pervasive. We already know that awful things happen to horses in the name of sport - in March this year, the two-times Grand National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott was photographed sitting on top of a dead horse, not to mention the many hundreds if not thousands of horses killed each year at racetracks and during training sessions around the world - so surely it is time for horses to be phased out of sports entirely.

• The picture of a Grand National-winning trainer sitting atop a dead horse is just the tip of the iceberg

As reported in our coverage of the Gordon Elliot incident, In the UK alone, 186 horses died during races in 2019. More horses never make it as far as actual races - of 1,022 thoroughbred foals born in 1999, only 200 went on to race at four years of age. While racing is a different equestrian discipline from the showjumping we see at the Olympics, Raisner’s abhorrent behaviour is a sign that the “sport” is not immune to callous disregard for the wellbeing of horses.

We would argue that the modern pentathlon is anything but modern. If the intention is to simulate an aspect of warfare, then surely horses no longer have anything to do with it. The world’s militaries saw fit to phase out horses, so why not stay true to de Coubertin’s vision for the event and find an alternative that truly demonstrates moral fortitude? And what better way to prove the mettle of one’s character than finding an ethical, more compassionate alternative.

Andrew Gough is Media and Investigations Manager for Surge.

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