- Charlotte Dujardin withdrew from the Olympics after a shocking video emerged
- In the clip, Dujardin allegedly hit a horse on its legs 24 times
- The six-time Olympic medallist said her career was ‘in ruins’ after the incident
The British team suffered a shock on Tuesday ahead of the Paris Olympics after dressage star Charlotte Dujardin was forced to withdraw from the Games after a controversial video emerged of her repeatedly kicking a horse in the legs.
Dujardin, a six-time Olympic medallist, hoped to become Britain’s most decorated female Olympian this summer but admitted her career was “in tatters” and the 39-year-old had faced widespread condemnation.
Dujardin has since been suspended for six months by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).
Shocking footage of the incident aired on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, showing Dujardin walking next to the horse, which is being ridden by a 19-year-old girl. She is said to have struck the horse’s legs 24 times with a whip.
Dujardin’s treatment of the horse has even been compared to ‘an elephant in a circus’.
WARNING: SHARP IMAGES
Charlotte Dujardin was forced to withdraw from the Paris Olympics after a controversial video emerged showing the six-time Olympic medallist repeatedly punching a horse in the legs
Dujardin reportedly taught the horse to ‘piaffe’, a slow trotting technique traditionally associated with dressage.
Dujardin admitted to regrets and said her career was “in ruins” after the controversial video
There has been much speculation about what Dujardin is teaching in the video. She claims the video is from four years ago, while the whistleblower’s lawyer claims the clip is from 2022.
According to The TelegraphDujardin tried to teach the horse to ‘piaffe’.
The ‘piaffe’ is a slow trotting technique traditionally associated with dressage.
This is usually achieved by tapping the horse very lightly, encouraging the horse just enough to lift its legs.
However, Dujardin – who has since admitted she is “deeply ashamed” and made a “mistake or judgement” – has understandably been strongly condemned for repeatedly violently hitting the horse.
Alice Plunkett, former eventing rider and current ITV racing presenter, told the Telegraph more about the video and responded to it: ‘It’s not a video that anyone can watch with confidence.
“It’s not appropriate and it’s something I’ve never seen before in all the years I’ve been working with horses.
‘It’s not standard practice. That’s not a standard way to train your horses for top-level dressage, she knows that and I just don’t understand how she got into that situation, because she’s someone who has made her life out of horses.
“She’s in a systematic training session, she’s training someone else’s horse in that video and she made the wrong decision about how to solve the problem. That’s not acceptable.”
Dujardin is said to have violently hit the horse 24 times and has been convicted for this
Three-time gold medalist Dujardin admitted her ‘devastation’ after making ‘an error of judgement’
In a statement announcing the shocking news, three-time gold medalist Dujardin said: ‘A video surfaced from four years ago showing me making an error in judgment during a coaching session.
‘It is understandable that the International Federation of Equestrian Sports (FEI) is conducting an investigation and I have decided to withdraw from all competitions, including the Paris Olympics, while this process is underway.’
She added: ‘I sincerely apologise for my actions and am devastated that I have let everyone down, including Team GB, fans and sponsors.
‘I will co-operate fully with the FEI, the British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage during their investigation and will not comment further until the process has been completed.’