Outrage after teens climb fences and ride private horses without permission
Wednesday 3rd June 2026 on 17:00 in
Denmark
Two young people are facing police reports for animal mistreatment after videos surfaced showing them climbing over fences and riding horses they did not own, Danish broadcaster DR reports.
Footage shared on social media depicts the pair entering private enclosures, mounting horses, and in some cases being thrown off. One video shows an influencer riding Power, a 43-year-old pony owned by Rasmus Nielsen in Højslev near Skive. Nielsen told DR the animal visibly struggled to stay upright and appeared deeply distressed.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Nielsen said. “We don’t keep animals to see them treated like this. People here are furious.”
Nielsen identified the individuals through social media and filed a police report on Sunday evening. Authorities in East Jutland and Mid- and West Jutland confirmed receiving three separate complaints, including Nielsen’s.
The videos first appeared on TikTok and Instagram before spreading to a closed Facebook group for horse owners. Katrine Rusbjerg from Aulum shared them in a local Skive community group, where the post has since been shared 367 times and drawn over 300 comments—many expressing anger. Users quickly identified the teens, who have since faced online harassment.
Rusbjerg, who knows of four horse owners who have filed reports, defended the backlash. “The point was to alert owners, but if you do something like this, you should face consequences,” she said.
One of the teens posted an apology on Friday, calling their actions “thoughtless and wrong” and claiming they had apologized directly to the owners. Nielsen denied receiving any direct contact, and Rusbjerg dismissed the apology as insufficient. “A half-hearted post won’t cut it,” she said. “They need to understand the gravity of what they did.”
Police and the equine welfare group Hestens Værn have urged anyone with information to come forward. DR contacted both individuals; one declined further comment, referring to their Instagram apology.