With just three days to go until the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the equestrian world went into meltdown last night. The first sign of any upset was a statement issued by Team GB equestrian star Charlotte Dujardin: ‘A video has emerged from four years ago which shows me making an error of judgement during a coaching session’, she wrote. As a result, Dujardin – who has won six Olympic medals – has withdrawn from all competitions, including the Paris games, until the FEI (International Federation for Equestrian Sports) complete their investigation.
The video shows Dujardin during a coaching session for a horse and rider, in which she repeatedly hits the animal on the back of the legs with a lunging whip. Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Dutch lawyer Stephan Wensing, who is acting for the whistleblower who shared the video, said the footage has been made public after the unnamed rider looked back on the incident and thought: ‘This is not OK, this is animal abuse.’
To call Charlotte Dujardin the ‘golden girl’ of dressage is a cliché, but an honest one. She has not just won Olympic medals, but, until last night, was in the running to become Britain’s most decorated female Olympian; any medal at all would have gained her that accolade. Coming from an ‘ordinary’ background and working her way through the levels with dressage trainer Carl Hester MBE (who is also on the Team GB Olympic squad for Paris) she was painted as the hugely talented face of British dressage: rising to the top through sheer hard work. Now what?
There is no denying that it is odd timing for this video to emerge just days before the Olympics. But bad timing or not, the video will do nothing for Charlotte Dujardin’s reputation, or for the equestrian community more widely. It is a disaster for Team GB, for Dujardin – and for all equestrian sports.
The video has been broadcast at a time when the use of animals, and horses specifically, is being increasingly questioned, both by protest groups like Animal Rising and, as a result, the general public. Horse racing has already been targeted by protestors, as seen at major events like the Grand National and the Epsom Derby. When horses bolt through central London, the question is now asked as to whether horses should be there at all – a question that has rarely been asked before. The importance of a ‘social licence’ to ride is now the buzzword; that is, ensuring that horse riding and equestrian sports are acceptable to society in general.
It is right that Dujardin should not compete at Paris while the investigation is ongoing, but, on the face of it, there is no reason why she could not return in a few years and still become Britain’s most decorated female Olympian. However, while this video is damaging for her reputation, it is just as bad news, not only for dressage but for all equestrian sports. People who want to question the ethics of using horses for sport will always be asking: what really goes on behind closed doors?
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