As the online portal of the Swiss newspaper "Blick" (Zurich) reported on Sunday, several horse owners and stable employees have severely criticised the keeping of the animals and the management of the stable.
Blick quotes rider Nicole Kuster, who describes the case of a pregnant mare who, according to Kuster, had been given too little food and exercise. It goes on to say that the mare and foal had to be euthanised in April 2023.
The newspaper also quotes another horse owner who had removed her horse from the monastery's stables for animal welfare reasons. More than 20 other horse owners have since left the site.
On its website, Einsiedeln Monastery refers to different standards in horse keeping: "What is common practice for some horse owners is criticised by others. Then there are the observations of lay people. This quickly leads to accusations and a scandal ensues." This is inadmissible in the case of Marstall.
The monastery points out that the allegations discussed in Blick are cases from previous years that have already been clarified with the vet, animal hospital and experts.
Dispute over change of management
A dispute over the management of Europe's oldest stud farm is apparently smouldering in the background.
According to Blick, Ursi Kälin had to leave in February 2023 due to "differences of opinion" after managing the stables for almost 20 years. A veterinarian of many years' standing had also been dismissed and the farrier had resigned.
The monastery's statement states that it cannot comment on the origin of the allegations for legal reasons.
"However, much of it appears to be personally motivated."
The interim management of the Marstall took over a difficult situation in 2023, but has already made great progress. "There are currently mainly operational challenges that have nothing to do with animal welfare," it continues.
The monastery emphasises that the inspections carried out following anonymous reports to animal welfare revealed no or very few complaints. The farm is in good condition in terms of animal husbandry and animal welfare. This was confirmed by the herd veterinarian, the animal welfare authorities and experts with whom the company liaises.
The monastery will now take an even closer look at animal welfare at the Marstall and, if necessary, arrange for corrections to be made in order to keep the more than 1,000-year-old horse tradition alive.