Charlotte Dujardin
Charlotte Dujardin, Britain’s joint-most decorated female Olympian, has been provisionally suspended by equestrian’s governing body the FEI.
The dressage star had already pulled out of Paris 2024 after a video emerged which she said showed her “making an error of judgement”.
The FEI said it had received footage showing three-time Olympic gold medallist Dujardin “engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare – during a training session conducted at Ms Dujardin’s private stable”.
A lawyer representing the claimant who filed an official complaint against Dujardin to the FEI said in an accompanying letter seen by the BBC “the video shows Ms Dujardin beating a horse excessively with a whip”.
They added: “My client is aware that this complaint could have far-reaching consequences for Ms Dujardin, including disciplinary sanctions. My client had to think long and hard about whether to bring this to your attention this way.”
Good Morning Britain, the ITV breakfast show, aired footage on Wednesday morning that appeared to show Dujardin hitting a horse with a long equestrian whip.
The footage, which is yet to be verified by the BBC, appeared to show Dujardin repeatedly striking the back of a horse’s legs.
Whips are used in all equestrian disciplines and when employed as a training aid should be utilised lightly to communicate with the horse.
“In dressage they use a long whip called a schooling whip to encourage the horse,” Madeleine Hill, a former dressage reporter for magazine Horse & Hound, told the Today Programme.
“Generally you can’t use the whip too harshly because horses are very sensitive and they’ll react badly.
“In dressage I would say it’s used as a training aid and quite cautiously.”
The FEI said Dujardin confirmed she was the individual in the video which was “filmed several years ago” and “requested to be provisionally suspended pending the outcome of the investigations”.
The body initially announced a six-month suspension but later said the ban would “remain in place pending the outcome of the investigation/disciplinary proceedings”.
Although the ban remains provisional while the FEI investigates, Dujardin, who has six Olympic medals in total, has said she will “withdraw from all competition 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,” she said in a statement.
“I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment.”