Helgstrand withdrew from the 2007 Dressage World Cup finals in Las Vegas when Matiné twisted her left front pastern on arrival while getting out of the van.

[10][11] In 2010, Helgstrand rode Uno Donna Unique to victory in the 6-year-old class at the 2010 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses.

However, the Danish Equestrian Federation ruled on 2 February 2015 that Helgstrand was guilty of "improper use of bit and bridle" and that his use of a double-bridle was "completely unacceptable".

[20][21][22] Later that year, the website Epona.tv published photos of Helgstrand warming up his horse Torveslettens Stamina in a rollkur position, though he was not warned or sanctioned at the event.

[23] In 2022, Helgstrand on Queenpark's Wendy was disqualified from the Stockholm Grand Prix when the judge stopped him mid-performance after noticing pink froth on the horse's mouth.

[24] A few months later, the pair were again disqualified from the World Cup Grand Prix in Amsterdam for the blood rule when Queenpark's Wendy bit her own tongue.

However, the show was not governed by FEI rules, but by Dansk Ride Forbund's which require medications to be approved by the DRF veterinary advisor before administering them.

Helgstrand was held as the responsible party under the Danish rules and had to return the bronze medal he won and pay a fine.

[34][35] As a result, his father Ulf Helgstrand, who had been chairman of the Danish Equestrian Federation since 2003, took a leave of absence from his position,[36][37] and later resigned in April 2024.

[38] In October 2024, as his suspension from the Danish equestrian team was due to lift, Helgstrand was banned for an additional three months after evidence in his involvement in another suspect training episode came to light.