- Danish rider suspended for whipping
Danish dressage rider Carina Cassøe Kruth has been temporarily removed from the national team due to whip strikes. The background is a video showing Cassøe Kruth harshly whipping a horse. The Danish Equestrian Federation announced this on its website.
The rider's behavior in the 2022 training video was deemed incompatible with the norms and values described in the sport plan for the federation's squad and national team riders, it said. The duration of the suspension was initially unknown.
Initially, a fine
Cassøe Kruth was initially supposed to travel to the Olympic Games in Paris as a reserve rider with the Danish dressage team, but withdrew her participation just before the team announcement. According to the news agency Ritzau, this happened after the video was passed on to the Danish Equestrian Federation. The rider had won European Championship bronze with the Danish team last year and World Championship gold in 2022.
Initially, the federation imposed a fine of around 670 euros on Cassøe Kruth. The temporary suspension of the dressage rider came after the video was published on the internet and sparked fierce criticism in Danish public opinion.
Despite the initial fine, the backlash from the public led to a more severe consequence. The Olympic Games in Paris were approaching, and Cassøe Kruth's participation with the Danish dressage team was uncertain due to the video controversy.
