Charlotte Dujardin has been dropped as an ambassador for horse welfare charity Brooke amid a horse whipping controversy engulfing the British Olympian.
It comes after she was provisionally suspended by equestrian’s governing body and she withdrew from the Paris Olympics over a video from four years ago showing her making what she described as “an error of judgement” during a coaching session.
The video shows Dujardin repeatedly hitting a student’s horse with a whip from the ground.
Charlotte Dujardin, Britain's joint-most decorated female Olympian, has been provisionally suspended & will not compete at Paris 2024.
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) July 24, 2024
This video has emerged of the dressage star which she said showed her 'making an error of judgement'. pic.twitter.com/PQ9rPQTD04
Brooke confirmed to the PA news agency that Dujardin was no longer an ambassador for the charity as a result, and said: “We were deeply disturbed to learn about this video.
“Our whole ethos is around kindness and compassion to horses, and to see the opposite of this from someone with such a high profile is beyond disappointing.
“There can never be a justification for mistreating animals.”
In her role as a Brooke ambassador, Dujardin had previously travelled to India for a television documentary.
Brooke, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules in developing countries, runs one of its biggest programmes in India.
And Dujardin visited villages on the outskirts of New Delhi, where she witnessed the charity’s work.
World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers, meanwhile, says the Dujardin episode is a “massive wake-up call for anyone who thinks this is not important”.
Owers said: “This story is another salutary reminder of how vital it is that equestrians put the welfare of the horse first, all of the time, whether in the competition arena or behind closed doors.
“We welcome Charlotte’s decision to take full responsibility and withdraw from the Paris Olympics, and British Equestrian and the FEI’s (the International Federation for Equestrian Sports) swift action.
“Horse sport rightly has high standards, as illustrated in the FEI Code of Conduct and British Equestrian’s Charter for the Horse, but it is a collective responsibility to maintain these standards.
Respect for the horse must be at the heart of every equestrian, and every equestrian sport, and their actions must demonstrate that respect all of the time
“Respect for the horse must be at the heart of every equestrian, and every equestrian sport, and their actions must demonstrate that respect all of the time.
“World Horse Welfare actively supports horse sport, but there cannot be any tolerance for unacceptable practices, no matter how experienced the rider or coach.
“We know that a successful future for horse sport has public trust at the centre of it, and this requires equestrians to be caring and to always treat their horses with respect, compassion and understanding.”
