Charlotte Dujardin has promised to “forever aim to do better” after she was banned and fined for “excessively” whipping her horse.
The three-time Olympic dressage gold medallist was blasted after footage emerged just days before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games of the 39-year-old repeatedly striking a horse on its legs with a long whip during a training session. The British dressage rider’s international ban, handed out by the FEI – the world governing body of equestrian sports – will last one year, backdated to the start of her provisional suspension. She will be eligible to compete again from July 2025.
She was also fined 10,000 Swiss Francs (£8,886) as part of her punishment. British Equestrian and British Dressage have also backed the suspension, meaning Dujardin will also not compete in national competition or training events during the same period.
She said: “I fully respect the verdict issued by the Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), released today. As the federation has recognised, my actions in the video do not reflect who I am and I can only apologise again. I understand the responsibility that comes with my position in the sport, and I will forever aim to do better. This has undoubtedly been one of the darkest and most difficult periods of my life, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me during this time.”
Dujardin’s six Olympic medals, comprising three gold, a silver and two bronze, are the joint most of any British female Olympian, alongside former track cyclist Dame Laura Kenny’s five golds and a silver. Dujardin was provisionally suspended on July 23 for “engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare”, one day after the FEI received the video showing her excessively whipping a horse.
The FEI said the footage of the training session did not constitute any other rule violations and added that there have not been any further complaints raised against Dujardin’s conduct since the video emerged. “These significant sanctions send a clear message that anyone, regardless of their profile, who engages in conduct that compromises the welfare of the horse will face serious consequences,” FEI secretary general Sabrina Ibanez said.