Viegaard Stutteri Declared Bankrupt

Dressage

Denmark

John Byrialsen's Danish brood farm and former stallion station Viegaard Stutteri has been declared bankrupt. An executorial sale of the horse stock and buildings will follow.

Danish Horror Farm

The bankruptcy follows in the wake of a major police raid, which led to digging up the cadavers of 50 horses. The raid in August was the long awaited official intervention, demanded by the public to expose and end John Byrialsen's decade-long animal neglect, first in Poland and then continued in Denmark.

Since August protests near the farm have continued persistently on a regular basis, with one protestor even getting run over by a car and landing in the hospitalized.

Bankruptcy

Viegård Stutteri ApS, Vieland ApS and John Byrialsen together owe over DKK 17 million to the company Euro Steel 1988. Euro Steel 1988, which has bought up some of the stud's properties and land, has requested that Viegård Stutteri be filed for bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy court in Viborg received the bankruptcy petition on 28 September.

Excavations of dead horses during the raid

TV MV reported that, "an initial meeting has then been called. It was held on 5 October, when stud owner John Byrialsen was given a deadline to collect the money the stud owes. The deadline was 13 October, and since it had not been possible to raise the money, the companies behind the stud and John Byrialsen were personally declared bankrupt on Friday, the court said."

Executorial Sale

Johnny H. Madsen is one two curators appointed. They have taken over the management of the property (three farms), the business, and around 400 horses.

"A bankruptcy can drag on for years, but the actual sale of horses and property should preferably be completed within six months. And the horses would very much like to be gone within a month," Johnny H. Madsen told TV MV.

The main yard will be auctioned on 3 November 2023. However, this executorial auction was cancelled on 19 October because the horses, which are housed there, need to be sold first before the buildings can be sold. Many of the buildings are also dilapidated and require renovation, according to Ridehesten.