A barbed wire warning Rescuers came to the aid of a mare who had got herself “well and truly stuck” in barbed wire fencing. The RSPCA and firefighters worked together to free the mare from the wire, which was tangled round her leg, and then hoist her to safety. The mare sustained a wound on […]
The decision to ban top US rider Andy Kocher for 10 years, for repeated and prolonged use of electric spurs has been upheld, showing that “there is no room for leniency when it comes to cases of horse abuse”. In 2021, the FEI Tribunal ruled that the American showjumper be suspended until 27 October 2030, […]
US showjumper Andy Kocher has been banned for 10 years for “deliberate, methodical and repetitive” use of electric spurs, on numerous horses in training and competition.
A press release on the FEI Tribunal ruling on Kocher was released last week, and the operative decision has now been published.
The FEI legal department told the rider last June that an investigation had been opened following allegations about electric spur use reported to the independent equestrian community integrity unit (ECIU). It was alleged that Mr Kocher had used electric spurs on a number of FEI-registered and national horses in international and national events, and in training.