Austrian Grand Prix rider Ulrike Prunthaller has lost her appeal against the sentence, which the Austrian Equestrian Federation (OEPS) imposed after the court of arbitration of the Tyrolean equestrian federation found her guilty for animal cruelty.
The Higher regional court house of Vienna dismissed Prunthaller's appeal against OEPS on all charges. In 2011 and 2012 the court of arbitration of the Tyrolean equestrian federation suspended Prunthaller from competition for nine months as well as fined 4,000 euro after she was found guilty for animal cruelty.
In August 2013, Prunthaller filed a lawsuit against OEPS but this was rejected by the Vienna district court in January 2017. Prunthaller, who is the head trainer at Edda and Wenzel Schmidt's Bartlgut, was sentenced to pay all legeal fees (36,238 euro). Prunthaller appealed this decision and the Vienna Higher Regional Court has now dismissed that appeal. The Vienna higher court agrees with the arguments and findings of the first court, which stated that OEPS had acted correctly in all judiciary procedures and that the penalty was not disproportianate.
Both Prunthaller and her trainer at the time, Fritz Atschko, were charged with animal cruelty for training with electric shocks.
Prunthaller has four weeks time to decide whether she wants to request a special revision/appeal against the decision of the Vienna Higher regional court.
Photo © Lukasz Kowalski
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