Hello everyone! Big news in the equestrian world today. British Olympic dressage star Charlotte Dujardin has decided to pull out of the Paris Olympics following the emergence of a controversial video. Now, you might be wondering, what’s all the fuss about? Well, let’s dive into the details.
Charlotte Dujardin, who’s a powerhouse in the world of dressage with six Olympic medals—three of them gold—found herself at the center of an investigation after a video from four years ago surfaced.
This video reportedly shows her whipping a horse on its legs during a coaching session.
Yikes, right? According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, Dujardin didn’t go into detail about the video’s contents but admitted to making an error of judgment.
Here’s what she said: “A video has emerged from four years ago which shows me making an error of judgment during a coaching session. Understandably, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) is investigating, and I have made the decision to withdraw from all competition—including the Paris Olympics—while this process takes place. I am sincerely sorry for my actions and devastated that I have let everyone down, including Team GB, fans, and sponsors.”
Now, that’s a tough pill to swallow for her fans and supporters. But the story doesn’t stop there.
Dutch lawyer Stephan Wensing, who represents a 19-year-old complainant, described the video in detail.
According to Wensing, Dujardin was seen in the arena instructing a student to make their horse lift its legs more during the canter.
To emphasize her point, she reportedly used a long whip and struck the horse more than 24 times in a minute. “It was like an elephant in the circus,” he said. Quite a striking image, isn’t it?
At that time, the young rider witnessing this thought it might be normal because, after all, Dujardin is an Olympic winner. However, after seeing other suspensions in the equ
