Charlotte Dujardin, a six-time Olympic medalist, has been handed a one-year ban from equestrian sports for “excessively” whipping a horse earlier this year.
The 39-year-old UK dressage champion came under fire after a video of her whipping the legs of a horse during a lesson emerged days before the Paris Olympics began.
Dujardin apologised following the release of the video, but eventually decided to withdraw from what would have been her fourth Olympic Games.
“What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train horses or coach my pupils, however, there is no excuse. I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment,” she said about the video.
Dujardin was suspended in July for "engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare" pending an investigation before being handed an international one-year ban by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI).
The competition horse rider who said her behaviour was “an error of judgment” was also fined 10,000 Swiss Francs (£8,886) over the incident.
In a statement, the FEI said: “During her suspension, Dujardin is prohibited from participating in all activities related to competitions or events under the jurisdiction of the FEI or of a National Federation.
“British Equestrian and British Dressage have reciprocated the suspension, resulting in Dujardin’s ineligibility to compete in any national competition or training events during this period.”
Dujardin was on track to become Britain’s most decorated female Olympian before she was forced to pull out of the Paris games. Here’s what you need to know.
Who is Charlotte Dujardin?
Born in Enfield and raised around Hertfordshire, Dujardin started riding horses at a very young age. Her parents always encouraged her passion for equestrian sports, even buying her a Shetland pony when she was a teenager.
When her grandmother died, Dujardin received an inheritance that enabled her to buy her first dressage horse, and it only went up from there.
Working for several prominent people in the equestrian industry, Dujardin rose through the ranks as a prominent and successful rider.
In 2011, she debuted at the Grand Prix before participating in the first dressage team to win a gold medal. The following year, she secured her first sport in the Olympic Games, earning two gold medals at the time.
Dujardin holds six Olympic medals in total: two gold from London 2012, gold and silver in Rio 2016, and two bronze in Tokyo 2020. If she had participated in the Paris Olympics, she could have become Britain’s most decorated female Olympian.
In 2023, Dujardin gave birth to her first child with her partner Dean Golding.
Aside from her equestrian successes, she’s also starred in a Netflix show, received an OBE and a CBE and has published a successful biography 'The Girl on the Dancing Horse'.
She released a statement on Tuesday, which read: “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.”
In the statement she added that she is pregnant with her baby due in February.
