British dressage star Charlotte Dujardin will not compete at the Paris Olympics after a video emerged of her whipping a horse excessively on the legs while coaching a younger pupil.
The video dates back several years, but its release has forced the 39-year-old to withdraw from the Paris Games immediately.
Britain’s equal most decorated female Olympic athlete has won six medals across Games in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 (2021 after COVID).
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Dujardin has stood down while authorities investigate the incident.
“A video has emerged from four years ago which shows me making an error of judgement during a coaching session,” she said in a statement posted to Instagram.
“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.”
An official complaint was made by the teenager involved in the coaching session in question, whose lawyer described Dujardin’s treatment of the horse as like that of a circus animal.
“Charlotte Dujardin was in the middle of the arena,” Dutch lawyer Stephan Wensing said, according to a UK Telegraph report.
“She said to the student: ‘Your horse must lift up the legs more in the canter’. She took the long whip and she was beating the horse more than 24 times in one minute.
British Equestrian CEO Jim Eyre said the sport’s governing body in the UK was taking the matter very seriously.
“As the guardians of equestrian sport, we must uphold the highest standards of equine welfare — the horse’s wellbeing is paramount,” he said in a statement on the organisation’s website.
“We have been in close liaison with the FEI on the matter and will fully comply with any requests to fulfil their investigation and support the robust processes around such complaints.
“The allegations made are serious and the consequences far reaching but upholding the integrity of our sport remains our priority.”
Dujardin was set to compete in both the individual dressage and the team event in Paris with world champion Lottie Fry, as well as Carl Hester.
It’s believed her place in the team will be filled by Becky Moody, the UK Telegraph reported.
“I will co-operate fully with the FEI, British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage during their investigations, and will not be commenting further until the process is complete,” Dujardin said.
The Olympic dressage competition begins on July 30 at the Palace of Versailles.