Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin, the fourth-ranked dressage rider on the FEI World Rankings, has withdrawn from the Paris Olympics after a damning video involving a training incident taken around four years ago (according to Dujardin) surfaced. The video shows Dujardin repeatedly hitting a student’s horse with a whip from the ground; the whistleblower claims it was taken about two-and-a-half years ago.
According to the Dutch outlet horses.nl, a complaint of animal cruelty was filed with the FEI and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) on Monday by Dutch lawyer Stephan Wensing on behalf of an anonymous client. The FEI officially announced the provisional suspension of Dujardin, effective immediately (July 23, 2024.)
The dressage events are scheduled to start July 30th. It is expected that reserve rider Becky Moody and Jagerbomb will now move up into the team roster to join Carl Hester (Fame) and Charlotte Fry (Glamourdale), but it is unclear who if anyone would become the reserve rider this late in the game.
A statement from Dujardin issued on July 23rd reads:
“A video has emerged from four years ago which shows me making an error of judgement 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.
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.
I am sincerely sorry for my actions and devastated that I have let everyone down, including Team GB, fans and sponsors.
I will cooperate fully with the FEI, British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage during their investigations, and will not be commenting further until the process is complete.”
Charlotte Dujardin, 23rd July 2024
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