Three-time Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in dressage Charlotte Dujardin is being investigated by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) after a video, which she says is four years old, was leaked about her handling of horses.
– We are deeply disappointed by this case, especially as we approach the Olympics in Paris 2024. But it is important and our duty to take every case of neglect seriously, because animal husbandry is something we cannot compromise on, says the FEI chairman Ingmar De Vos on the FEI’s website.
OS i Paris 2024
Shows multiple whiplash
Dujardin was reported to the FEI by a whistleblower who trained with Dujardin, and his lawyer has sent the video on which the report is based also to the British newspaper The Telegraph and the TV show Good Morning Britan.
This video will show Dujardin during a training session, where she whips the horse no less than 24 times in one minute.
“A video from four years ago shows me making a mistake regarding my handling of horses during a training session. Understandably, the FEI is investigating this and I have decided to withdraw from all competitions, including the Olympics, until the investigation is complete,” writes the Briton on social media.
SVT’s expert: “A food for thought”
Dujardin is suspended pending the FEI’s investigation.
SVT Sports expert Gunilla Byström condemns what happened, but hopes that it will lead to something good.
– This leads to us all becoming more attentive and thinking, and that the horse must really be trained for what it is supposed to do. I think that is the most important part of the whole thing, that we all get food for thought, she says.
Hear Byström explain why it turned out the way it did in the clip above
