The cruelty case against the connections of international dressage stallion Totilas has been dropped by prosecutors due to lack of evidence, according to the German branch of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). However, the prosecutors did acknowledge that both riding in hyperflexion and being kept in isolation could be harmful to horses’ well-being, even if they did not find that this applied in Totilas’ case.

“We are really pleased with this official admission that these acts can be considered contrary to equine welfare,” said Davina Bruhn, LLD, a lawyer for PETA Germany.

In October 2012 PETA Germany filed a complaint of cruelty and unethical treatment towards Totilas because the Dutch Warmblood was allegedly trained in hyperflexion and kept isolated from other horses. The complaint was filed against the horse’s owners, Paul Schockemöhle and Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff, and his rider, Matthias Alexander Rath, with the country’s prosecuting office.

The prosecution’s decision was based on a visit by an equine welfare expert to the farm where Totilas is kept, Bruhn said. The expert and an accompanying veterinarian, sent by the prosecutors, examined Totilas’ stabling conditions and observed him being worked under saddle. “They found no signs of mistreatment during their visit,” Bruhn said. “But the expert did acknowledge that the visit—which lasted only three and a half hours—was short and only happened once