Double Olympic dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin suspended for one year after horse whipping video emerged
The suspension means Dujardin is prohibited from participating in all international and national competitions or events. She has also been handed an 拢8,000 fine.
Thursday 5 December 2024 13:02, UK
Charlotte Dujardin has been suspended for one year after a video emerged of the double Olympic dressage champion whipping a horse repeatedly.
The suspension means Dujardin is prohibited from participating in all international and national competitions or events that the Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) - the international governing body of equestrian sports - oversees.
Both British Equestrian and British Dressage have implemented the same suspension, the FEI said in a statement on Thursday.
The dressage rider has also been fined 10,000 Swiss Francs (about £8,800).
Responding to the suspension, Dujardin said it has been "one of the darkest and most difficult periods of my life" adding that her actions in the video do not reflect who she is.
"I fully respect the verdict issued by the Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), released today," she said.
"I understand the responsibility that comes with my position in the sport, and I will forever aim to do better.
"To those of you who have sent messages, emails and tried to reach me to check in on how I am - thank you. Every kind word truly has made a difference, more than you'll ever know."
The dressage rider also announced she is pregnant with her second child and said she, her husband Dean Golding and their daughter Isabella are "very much looking forward" to the new arrival.
Dujardin withdrew from this summer's Paris games after footage of a training session from four years ago showed her repeatedly whipping a student's horse.
Referring to the video of a coaching session, she said what happened was "completely out of character" and "does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils".
Multiple major sponsors cut ties with the dressage rider as a result.
After the release of the video back in July, Dujardin was handed a provisional suspension for engaging in conduct contrary to the FEI's principles on horse welfare.
The governing body said the time she has already served under the provisional suspension will be deducted from the year-long suspension.
"It is regrettable that this case has put our sport in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, especially during a critical time leading up to the Olympic Games," FEI secretary general Sabrina Ibanez said.
She said the sanctions handed to Dujardin 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".
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Dujardin has won six Olympic medals, making her Britain's joint-most decorated female Olympian.
At the London 2012 Olympics, Dujardin won gold medals in the individual and team dressage, while in Rio in 2016, she took gold in the individual competition and silver in the team event.
Three years ago, at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Games, she claimed bronzes in both the team and individual competitions.