A statement said that athlete Annika Schleu and coach Kim Raisner had only briefly turned violent against Schleu’s horse at the Tokyo Olympics and that the two were in an extraordinary situation physically and mentally during the competition.

Prosecutors said that “no injuries were inflicted on the horse” and that the case would be closed once Schleu and Raisner have paid a certain sum to a charity organization.

In Tokyo, Schleu’s hopes of Olympic gold disappeared when her horse Saint Boy refused to take the show-jumping course.

Raisner was heard on television encouraging a tearful Schleu to “properly” hit the horse in an unsuccessful bid to get it going and was later ejected from the Games for punching the animal.

Germany’s animal welfare body had filed the criminal complaint against Schleu and Raisner.

The prosecution also said that none of the two had a criminal record and that a repeat offence was unlikely because modern pentathlon is set to ditch horse riding in the wake of the incident.