Dressage rider flies to the whip from the national team
Danish dressage rider Carina Cassoe Krüth is alleged to have severely whipped a horse. After a video surfacing that corroborates the allegations, she is convicted to a fine. Now, the federation also excludes her from the national team - for an indefinite period.
Danish dressage rider Carina Cassoe Krüth has been excluded from the national team due to whip lashes. The background is a video showing her severely whipping a horse. The federation announced this. The rider's behavior in the 2022 training video is incompatible with the norms and values described in the sports plan for the federation's and national team's riders, it said. How long the exclusion will last is initially unknown.
Cassoe Krüth was supposed to travel as a reserve rider with the dressage team to the Olympic Games but withdrew her participation shortly 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, only a fine
Initially, the federation imposed a fine of around 670 euros on Cassoe Krüth. The temporary exclusion of the dressage rider occurred after the video was published on the internet and sparked fierce criticism in Danish public opinion. This is the latest shocking case in the dressage sports scene. Before the Games, three-time Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin had made headlines. A four-year-old video suddenly appeared, showing Dujardin acting against the well-being of a horse.
The world federation FEI then announced that Dujardin had been provisionally suspended. The 39-year-old had herself requested this until the investigations were completed. "What happened was not at all like me and does not reflect how I train my horses or teach my students, but there is no excuse," Dujardin said in a later statement. "I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example at that moment. I sincerely apologize for my behavior."
The exclusion of Cassoe Krüth from competitive sports events, not just the national team, could be a consequence of her actions. Her actions in the sports arena have raised significant concerns about animal welfare and the use of force in equestrian sports.
