A video showing Charlotte Dujardin, a British equestrian Olympic medalist, hitting a horse with a whip during a training session has surfaced, prompting calls from Peta for a ban on equestrian events in the Olympics.
Dujardin, aged 39 and a winner of six dressage medals, has been banned from the 2024 Paris Olympics and was suspended after the video from four years ago became public.
Peta’s US Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo highlighted this incident as part of a broader issue of animal abuse in the sport, urging the International Olympic Committee to eliminate equestrian events from the Games.
In the aftermath, Dujardin was also removed as an ambassador for the horse welfare charity Brooke, which criticized her actions as contradictory to their values of kindness and compassion.
World Horse Welfare echoed the sentiment, noting this incident as a significant alert for the equestrian community about maintaining high welfare standards.
The incident recalls similar controversies, like the one at the Tokyo Olympics where German competitor Annika Schleu and her coach faced backlash for their treatment of a horse during competition, leading to changes in the modern pentathlon for future Olympics.
Dujardin has acknowledged her mistake, admitting to being deeply ashamed and recognizing her actions as a poor example.
Meanwhile, legal actions are moving forward, with a complaint officially filed to the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, which has taken the matter seriously, emphasiSing the importance of addressing such abuse as the Paris Olympics approach.
