British Dressage chiefs ramp up Charlotte Dujardin ‘soiled tips’ row

On Jul 26, 2024

By Eirian Jane Prosser and Mike Keegan and Claire Duffin and Sam Greenhill

Published: 00:49, 26 July 2024 | Updated: 02:28, 26 July 2024

British Dressage chiefs declared last night that the video of Charlotte Dujardin whipping a horse 24 times ‘like a circus elephant’ was released ‘to cause maximum damage’ to the star’s Olympic quest.

Less than 72 hours before the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024, footage of Team GB’s golden girl sent shockwaves through the equestrian world and beyond, causing the triple gold medalist to pull out of the games.

The boss of British Dressage Jason Brautigam said in a letter to members that Dujardin’s actions were ‘completely unacceptable’ but went on to pour fuel onto the suggestion that dirty tricks might be at play.

The head of the sporting body cast doubt over the mystery complainants suggestion that the sudden grievance about the footage – which was filmed several years ago – had been made to ‘save dressage’, branding the claim ‘somewhat disingenuous’.

Meanwhile Madeline Hall, former dressage correspondent at Horse & Hound magazine, said: ‘The timing of this video days before the Olympics smells of sabotage. To me it is suspect.’

Dutch lawyer Stephan Wensing refused to divulge his female client’s identity when he released the video to the world earlier in the week. It is unknown if she is also from the Netherlands, which has always been a strong rival of Team GB in equestrian sports.

Yet yesterday Team NL swiftly batted away any suggestion that the leak of Dujardin, who had hoped to become Britain’s most decorated female Olympian this year, had come from them insisting that they ‘only just saw the video after it was published’.

The video in question shows the dressage star allegedly lashing a horse at stables in Gloucestershire was made public by a Dutch lawyer on behalf of an anonymous client, who filmed it several years ago but has chosen to release it only now.

Footage showed Charlotte Dujardin seemingly hitting a horse repeatedly with a whip across the legs

Dujardin has withdrawn from the Paris Games over a video showing her making an ‘error of judgement’

Dujardin (pictured at the Olympic Games in 2012) was hoping to become Britain’s most decorated Olympian but was forced to pull out of the games on Monday

The timing of the complaint has raised suspicions with CEO of British Dressage Jason Brautigam stating the grievance was ‘timed to cause maximum damage’ before urging people to ‘kind’ to the fallen athlete

Dujardin declared that she was ‘deeply ashamed’ by her behaviour as she bid farewell to her chance to become Britain’s most decorated female Olympian.

Ms Dujardin narrowly defeated TeamNL at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and they were due to clash again next Tuesday at the Palace of Versailles.

A spokesperson for the Netherlands team said they ‘regret the expulsion of our fellow athlete’ but ‘also condemn the training method used by Dujardin in the video’, adding: ‘This has no place in our equestrian sports where the welfare of the horse comes first.

‘We are aware the video was released by a Dutch lawyer but would like to emphasise that the origin and the release has got no relation whatsoever to the Dutch Olympic team. We only just saw the video after it was published.’

Ms Dujardin was shown the video by the sport’s governing body, who had been sent it by the female whistleblower.

Mr Wensing said: ‘It’s not fun to ruin a career. [My client] is not celebrating; she doesn’t feel like a hero. But she told me this had to be done as she wants to save dressage.’

Reacting to the news last night, Mr Brautigam, who heads up the UK’s organisation for dressage, said the last few days had been ‘an extremely upsetting time for everyone involved in the sport’, adding that the community had been ‘let down’.

‘Let me be clear: the actions we have witnessed in that video are completely unacceptable. We have all been shocked and appalled by this indefensible conduct,’ he said in an email to members.

Charlotte Dujardin with her Tokyo 2020 Olympic winning horse Gio (left) and former Olympic gold medal winner Valegro (right) in 2021. She has since been suspended following a horse whipping scandal

‘As I have always said, the horse is at the heart of everything we do in British Dressage, and equine welfare must always be paramount above all other considerations.’

The chief of British Dressage rejected claims that the group had seen the video prior to its public release this week, adding that it supports all whistleblowers.

Yet Mr Brautigam also asked his members to take a sympathetic approach to Dujardin, reminding each member they have a ‘duty of care’ to one another.

‘Charlotte Dujardin has done the right thing by accepting responsibility and expressing remorse,’ he added.

‘While we do not condone her behaviour, we must remember that there is also a human element to this – and, regardless of what has happened, she still deserves our understanding.

‘Please be kind and bear in mind that we have a duty of care in our interactions with one another.’

He went on to probe the motives behind the complaint.

‘I do find claims that this was done to ‘save dressage’ somewhat disingenuous, given that it was timed to cause maximum damage to our sport,’ he added.

‘However, what will save dressage is how we all respond to this crisis by demonstrating our love and care for horses.’

As well as being given a six-month provisional ban, Ms Dujardin was dumped by at least three of her sponsors – riding helmet brand Charles Owen, insurance company KBIS and Danish equestrian equipment company Equine LTS.

UK Sport has suspended her Lottery funding, and Brooke, the world’s largest horse welfare charity, axed her as its ambassador, saying: ‘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.’

Ms Dujardin would have been a shoo-in for a damehood if she had picked up a medal in Paris, which was all she needed to become Britain’s most successful female Olympian ever.

Footage resurfaced of Dujardin showing how to ‘correctly’ whip a horse has (pictured is a grab from the video)

Dujardin with her fiancé Dean Wyatt-Golding after winning the gold medal at the Dressage in the 2016 Rio Olympics

But Whitehall sources have disclosed that any such honour is now off the table. She also faces being stripped of the CBE she was awarded in 2017.

The honours committee will await the result of the probe by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) before deciding.

The video shows Ms Dujardin lashing a horse as it was trained in how to perform a ‘piaffe’, a form of slow trot. Mr Wensing likened it to a circus elephant being mistreated.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, Ms Dujardin apologised to her sponsors, fans and Team GB.

She said: ‘A video has emerged from four years ago which shows me making an error of judgment during a coaching session.

‘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 at that moment.’

Team GB yesterday revealed that Yorkshirewoman Becky Moody, riding her horse Jaegerbomb, will replace Ms Dujardin in the British dressage team at the Olympics.

British Dressage’s full statement:

On Thursday evening the CEO of British Dressage Jason Brautigam released a message to members. It read:

‘In the wake of the distressing news this week, I wanted to write to you all personally to share my views and reflections on what this means for us and the future for our sport.

‘First and foremost, my heart goes out to all of you as members. I am sure you have been feeling the same mix of emotions as myself and the rest of the team at British Dressage. It has been an extremely upsetting time for everyone involved in the sport and we are all feeling let down by these revelations.

‘Let me be clear: the actions we have witnessed in that video are completely unacceptable. We have all been shocked and appalled by this indefensible conduct. As I have always said, the horse is at the heart of everything we do in British Dressage, and equine welfare must always be paramount above all other considerations. As the National Governing Body for the sport of dressage in the UK, our primary aim is to uphold and promote the highest standards of horse care and well-being.

‘Our mission is to ‘bring people and horses together in harmony’ and a central part of this is promoting the correct methods for training horses. We have robust equine welfare policies in place to deal with such situations, including our Members’ Code of Conduct and Charter for the Horse, and take a zero-tolerance approach to any breaches of our rules. While this has been an extremely difficult time for the BD team, the events of the last 72 hours prove that these policies do work.

‘Contrary to some reports, we did not receive any complaint or have any sight of the video prior to this week. Had that happened, we would have acted swiftly and decisively, just as we did on Monday. We always protect and support whistleblowers and would encourage anyone with evidence of equine abuse to come forward at the earliest opportunity.

‘We fully support the FEI in the actions they have taken in response to this incident and have reciprocated the provisional six-month suspension with immediate effect. The individual concerned will be subject to our own disciplinary processes, but we will not be making any further comment on the specifics until the FEI’s investigations are complete.

‘Riders should always train horses with the objective of developing a happy, healthy athlete. This is achieved through harmonious education, by establishing a confident and secure partnership that is based on mutual respect, care, and understanding. Our equine welfare policies are very clear in promoting the guiding principles that underpin our sport. There is no justification for using training methods that are abusive, cause fear or inflict pain.

‘Last month marked my ten-year milestone as Chief Executive at British Dressage. I would not have spent a decade of my professional career in the sport if I thought it was in any way cruel or inflicted harm on horses. My priority is to protect the horse, but also to protect all of the riders out there who genuinely love their horses and have spent years developing a special and unique bond with their equine partners in a sensitive and empathetic way.

‘While we cannot collectively be held responsible for the actions of individuals behind closed doors, we can hold them to account when breaches of our rules and regulations come to light. We will be measured on how we now react to this situation. The sport of dressage is not defined by one person – and no one person is bigger than our sport.

‘We are all role models, and it is going to be incumbent on all of us to prove why dressage and the welfare of the horse actually go hand in hand. I do find claims that this was done to ‘save dressage’ somewhat disingenuous, given that it was timed to cause maximum damage to our sport. However, what will save dressage is how we all respond to this crisis by demonstrating our love and care for horses.

‘As this incident has highlighted, there is absolutely no room for complacency – and as Roly Owers from World Horse Welfare rightly said, it is a wake-up call for all of us. We will need to rebuild trust to gain public acceptance, which will inevitably take time and a concerted effort from everyone, whether riders, owners, coaches, officials, organisers, staff or volunteers. We all have a part to play in this and we all need to be ambassadors for our sport.

‘Charlotte Dujardin has done the right thing by accepting responsibility and expressing remorse. While we do not condone her behaviour, we must remember that there is also a human element to this – and, regardless of what has happened, she still deserves our understanding. Please be kind and bear in mind that we have a duty of care in our interactions with one another.

‘In the immediate future we need to rally our support around Carl, Lottie and Becky as they fly the flag for Team GB in Paris over the next ten days. It will be incredibly difficult for them to compete in such circumstances, but we need to show that we’re right behind them all the way, as they aim to bring home medals and showcase the best of our sport.

‘As we proved during the pandemic, the dressage community pulls together in times of adversity. We will recover from this – and we can come back stronger and better as a result. So, while we are all hurting at the moment, please remember that we’re all in this together.

‘We need to support each other, but most importantly be proud of the sport we all love. Please continue to hold your heads up high and hopefully we will be able to celebrate our team’s success over the next two weeks.’