"No excuse": Olympic legend quits days before Paris Games commence
British dressage star Charlotte Dujardin has quit in disgrace just days before the Paris Olympics begins after disturbing footage emerged from a coaching session.
The sporting legend, who is a three-time Olympic champion and joint most decorated British woman Olympian, has withdrawn from all competition while authorities investigate the incident of “an error of judgement”.
The widely circulated video appears to show her hitting a horse on the legs during a slow-motion trot.
“A video has emerged from four years ago which shows me making an error of judgement during a coaching session,” she said in a statement.
“Understandably, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) is investigating and I have made the decision to withdraw from all competition — including the Paris Olympics —while this process takes place."
“What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils, however there is no excuse. I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment.”
“I will cooperate fully with the FEI, British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage during their investigations, and will not be commenting further until the process is complete,” she said.
This is not the first time Dujardin has been involved in controversy surrounding her treatment of horses, after she was eliminated from the European Championships in 2019 after blood was found on her horse in a post-competition check.
Dujardin was due to compete in both the individual dressage and the team events in Paris, and is now set to be replaced in the team by Becky Moody.
In recent years, Olympic and equestrian authorities have taken an increasingly strict line against alleged improprieties relating to the treatment of animals, with the entire equestrian sport undergoing a major overhaul after an incident during the Tokyo Olympics, in which a German coach was thrown out for striking a horse.
Image credits: Instagram