Video shows British Olympian Charlotte Dujardin whipping horse in training session (2024)

FAQs

What happened in Charlotte Dujardin's video? ›

Dujardin pulled out of the Olympic Games on 23 July after a video emerged of her "excessively" whipping a horse around its legs during a training session. The 39-year-old is Britain's joint-most decorated female Olympian.

"Charlotte Dujardin explained to the student she wanted to lift up the legs of the horse in the canter more - and then she used the whip as you saw on the footage," he said.

She was already whipping the horse. 'And she explained, “I want to lift up the legs and canter”, so it was nothing to do with dressage, it was a canter exercise, and lifting up by beating the horse.

VERSAILLES, France (AP) — Equestrian riders at the Paris Olympics say they were shocked by a recent video showing three-time gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin of Britain repeatedly whipping a horse during training, a scandal that has thrust the issue of animal welfare and abuse into the spotlight.

The video, which was aired on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, allegedly shows Dujardin walking beside the horse, which is carrying another rider, and whipping it along. What has she said about the video? Dujardin said the video shows her making "making an error of judgement during a coaching session".

Training a horse to move their hindlegs sideways ('yield') by tickling the leg with a dressage whip. In this situation, the whip is essentially being used as an extension of the trainers' hand. This should not be aversive (unpleasant) for the horse, unless they have previously learned to fear the whip.

Charlotte Dujardin banned from Olympics after video of her 'whipping horse 24 times like circus elephant' Charlotte Dujardin, Britain's three-time Olympic champion, has been banned from Paris 2024 over allegations she whipped a horse 24 times “like an elephant in the circus”.

Charlotte Dujardin, one of the world's most renowned dressage riders, will not compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after video footage emerged showing the British athlete repeatedly whipping a horse during a training session.

The 39-year-old Dujardin, who won six dressage Olympic medals in London, Rio and Tokyo, was banned from the Paris 2024 Games and suspended on Tuesday. The incident occurred when she conducted a coaching session to a young rider at a private stables four years ago.

Whipping hurts horses

“This was not surprising, as horses, like humans, need robust yet sensitive skin to respond to touch, say, from flying insects or other horses,” said Professor McGreevy. “From this, we can deduce that horses are likely to feel as much pain as humans would when being whipped.”

What is the purpose of whipping a horse? ›

For encouragement, to activate the horse or trigger a gear change in speed. And for safety of the horse and rider such as when jumping an obstacle. It recommends that whipping “for safety and encouragement” should continue. Industry leaders and jockeys say that whip use is essential to keep horses and jockeys safe.

It's not clear how much money Dujardin has earned throughout her 13-year career. She's believed to be a multi-millionaire, with the Express claiming in 2021 her net worth could be anything from $16million to $39m - equating to between £11.5m and £28m at that time.

Britain's joint-most decorated female Olympian, Charlotte Dujardin, has pulled out of the Paris Games after a video emerged of her whipping a horse repeatedly.

Riding fans were shocked when six-times Olympic medallist Charlotte Dujardin was barred from the competition a few days before the Games over a video that showed her hitting a horse, renewing a debate over the sport's ethics.

After Seabiscuit, the jockey never had much success, falling back to the bush leagues of racing from which he had emerged. Finally, in 1955, at the age of 46, Pollard hung up his silks and retired for good.

Britain's Dujardin, a six-time Olympic dressage medallist, withdrew from the Paris Games on Tuesday after the video emerged, saying it showed her "making an error of judgement". The video, obtained by the BBC, shows Dujardin repeatedly whipping a horse around its legs during the session.

With the Paris 2024 Olympics just days away, the equestrian world has been rocked by the news of Charlotte Dujardin's withdrawal, and subsequent provisional suspension, after footage emerged of her "excessively" whipping a horse.