Leaked footage shows Olympic star's horrific animal abuse
The extent of dressage star Charlotte Dujardin's "error of judgement" has been revealed, just hours after she made the snap decision to withdraw from the Olympics just days before its commencement.
The British dressage star, who is a three-time gold medallist and the joint most-decorated British female Olympian, withdrew and accepted a provisional six-month ban when coming clean about her acts of animal abuse in the lead up to the Paris Games.
Just hours after announcing her withdrawal from the equestrian events, a disturbing video of a training session began to circulate, in which she is alleged to have beaten a horse with a long whip 24 times in one minute.
The video, first released by Good Morning Britain, was taken four years ago and allegedly showed the 39-year-old mistreating a horse when trying to get the animal to slowly trot during a lesson with a young student.
With the trainee rider mounted on the horse, Dujardin can allegedly be seen whipping the horse’s legs repeatedly.
The video has outraged many, with hundreds of people taking to social media to voice their shock and horror at the acts.
Leading British social commentator David Kurten wrote on X, “The cruel abuse of this horse by Charlotte Dujardin is horrific and a stain on our nation."
“Two urgent questions need answers: Did she whip horses regularly? Are dozens or hundreds of other dressage horses regularly whipped and abused by other trainers?”
Former editor of Horse and Hound Lucy Higginson also added, “It has profoundly shocked everybody in the equestrian world.”
The video was sent anonymously to the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), who made the choice to suspend Dujardin just days before the Paris Olympics are set to begin.
“The FEI has officially announced the provisional suspension of British Dressage athlete Charlotte Dujardin effective immediately from the date of notification, 23 July 2024,” it said in a statement.
“This decision renders her ineligible to participate in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games or any other events under the jurisdiction of the FEI.”
“According to the information received, the footage was allegedly taken several years ago during a training session conducted by Ms Dujardin at a private stable,” the organisation said.
The governing body said Dujardin had confirmed she was depicted in the video and had acknowledged that her conduct was “inappropriate”.
“Charlotte Dujardin requested to be provisionally suspended pending the outcome of the investigations and voluntarily withdrew from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and also confirmed that she will not participate in any competitions pending the outcome of the FEI’s investigation,” it said.
“The FEI condemns any conduct contrary to the welfare of horses and has robust rules in place to address such behaviour.”
When announcing her withdrawal from the Games, Dujardin said she made an "error of judgement", saying there was "no excuse" for her behaviour.
She wrote in a statement on Instagram, “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. I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment.”
Image credits: Instagram / Good Morning Britain