Friday, Apr. 25, 2025

Dujardin Whipping Video Made Public

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The video that ended Charlotte Dujardin’s bid for a seventh Olympic medal has been obtained by British news outlets including The Telegraph, The Guardian and Good Morning Britain.

In publicly aired clips from the video, Dujardin is shown on the ground in an indoor, using a whip to repeatedly hit the legs of a horse being ridden by someone—reportedly a 19-year-old taking a lesson with the Olympian—whose face is blurred in video. Meanwhile, a person off screen but close to the camera being used to record the lesson, chuckles as the whipping continues.

The video clip shared today by The Guardian:

Stephan Wensing, a Dutch lawyer representing the person who reported Dujardin to the Fédération Equestre International, said she decided to do so over the weekend after seeing other prominent riders disciplined for similar issues, The Guardian reported. Wensing told The Telegraph the video was shot in 2022; in a Tuesday statement Dujardin said it was recorded four years ago.

“Charlotte Dujardin was in the middle of the arena,” Wensing said. “She said to the student: ‘Your horse must lift up the legs more in the canter.’ She took the long whip and she was beating the horse more than 24 times in one minute. It was like an elephant in the circus.

“At that time, my client was thinking this must be normal. She is an Olympic winner. Who am I to doubt? My client asked around and was warned against speaking out in the UK. But last year my client saw others suspended in the UK and elsewhere. And this weekend, she eventually made a decision to let me admit the complaint to the FEI, and that happened yesterday.”

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Charlotte Dujardin competed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games with Gio. Lisa Slade Photo

The FEI, British Equestrian and Dujardin herself all released statements on the situation Tuesday, when her provisional suspension was announced, and they have said they will not comment further until the investigation is complete.

According to the FEI’s statement on the issue, Dujardin confirmed the video was of her and “acknowledged her behavior was inappropriate.”

The rider on Tuesday, July 23, the deadline the FEI gave her for responding to the complaint, requested to the FEI that she be provisionally suspended pending the outcome of the investigation and stepped down from Britain’s dressage team for the Paris Olympic Games before the suspension was announced.

Helmet manufacturer and longtime sponsor of Dujardin Charles Owen terminated their sponsorship agreement with the rider as of July 24.

“Charles Owen and Miss Dujardin have had a successful partnership for many years, but while we understand the sentiment of her public statement, we have decided to terminate our sponsorship agreement with Miss Dujardin with immediate effect,” reads a statement from Charles Owen CEO Dave Derby posted to Facebook.

Fairfax Saddles and The Brooke Charity have also discontinued their association with Dujardin as of July 24.

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