Charlotte Dujardin, one of Britain’s most celebrated female equestrians, withdrew from the Paris Olympics this week after a video surfaced showing her “making an error of judgment,” as she put it in a social media statement on Tuesday.
The six-time Olympic dressage medalist said that the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) was “understandably” investigating the incident, and that she had “made the decision to withdraw from all competition—including the Paris Olympics—while this process takes place.”
She added that she would cooperate fully with the investigation.
“What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils, however there is no excuse,” she continued. “I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment.”
Dujardin apologized for her actions, which she said took place four years ago but did not describe in further detail in the statement.
Later on Tuesday, the FEI announced it had provisionally suspended Dujardin from all competition for six months after viewing the video.
“On 22 July 2024, the FEI received a video depicting Ms. Dujardin engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare,” the organization said in its statement. “This video was submitted to the FEI by a lawyer representing an undisclosed complainant.”
Stephan Wensing, the lawyer representing the anonymous whistleblower, told the British newspaper The Telegraph that the incident had involved a 19-year-old riding student in 2022.
His client, he explained, had sponsored the teenager for a private lesson with Dujardin.
“Charlotte Dujardin was in the middle of the arena,” Wensing said. “She said to the student, ‘your horse must lift up the legs more in the canter’. She took the long whip and she was beating the horse more than 24 times in one minute and really hard, really harsh, really tough.”
The lawyer described the mistreatment as akin to that of “an elephant in the circus.” He added, “It doesn’t make any sense. It has no goal. It is unbelievable.”
Wensing’s client is weighing whether to release the video into the public eye on Wednesday, he said.
Dujardin, 39, is tied with former cyclist Dame Laura Kenny for the most decorated British female Olympian of all time, according to The Telegraph. She had been set to compete in the individual dressage and team events in Paris, and was expected to be a strong contender.
Senior officials on Team GB were caught off-guard by the announcement on Tuesday, according to The Guardian.
“The BOA can confirm the withdrawal of Charlotte Dujardin from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and we acknowledge the seriousness with which she is taking this matter,” a British Olympic Association spokesperson said in a statement to the newspaper. “As a result of her withdrawal, we will be applying to bring in a reserve athlete under the IOC’s Late Athlete Replacement rules.
“The BOA takes animal welfare extremely seriously, and we believe that everyone has a responsibility for ensuring the well-being of horses.”
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