Dressage-Star is said to have hit the horse '24-times in a minute'
In Paris, dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin could have become the most successful British Olympic participant. However, the 39-year-old will not be participating in the Games. A video is said to show her mistreating a horse.
Just before the beginning of the Olympic Games in Paris, more details about the suspension of British dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin came to light. The trigger was a four-year-old training video that is alleged to show how the British medal hopeful was harming the welfare of the horse. The World Equestrian Federation (FEI) announced on a Tuesday evening that the 39-year-old had been temporarily suspended, at Dujardin's own request.
A 19-year-old is said to have filmed Dujardin during training. The lawyer representing the whistleblower reported in the British "Guardian" what could be seen on the video. "Charlotte Dujardin was in the middle of the riding arena," he said. "She told the student: 'Your horse's legs need to lift more in the gallop.' She took the long whip and hit the horse more than 24 times in a minute. It was like an elephant in a circus."
Dujardin issued a statement on Instagram and admitted to wrongdoing without specifying what was in the video. "What happened was completely unusual and does not reflect how I train my horses or my students, but there is no excuse," she wrote. "I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in this moment."
Furthermore, the lawyer explained why the video only surfaced now. Four years ago, "my client thought that was normal. She is an Olympian." The 19-year-old had doubted herself. "My client turned around and was warned not to speak out in the United Kingdom. But last year, she saw how others in the United Kingdom and elsewhere were suspended."
In Paris, Dujardin was set to compete both individually and as part of a team with Carl Hester and World Champion Lottie Fry. She is expected to be replaced by Becky Moody in the team. Dujardin won individual and team gold for Great Britain on Valegro in London 2012, defended the individual title with Valegro in Rio 2016 and won team silver.
Dujardin would have been Great Britain's most successful Olympic participant in Paris and with a medal win, she would have surpassed the earlier cyclist Laura Kenny. Both have won six medals at the Summer Games. She was also one of the biggest German hopes for the dressage team's chances against Jessica von Bredow-Werndl.
Despite the suspension, discussions about replacing Charlotte Dujardin in the Olympic Games 2024 horsesport team are ongoing in Paris. The controversy surrounding the alleged mistreatment of a horse in a four-year-old training video has put Dujardin's participation in the Olympic Games in jeopardy.
