Charlotte Dujardin, the most decorated British Olympic athlete in history, has withdrawn from the Paris Olympic Games after a video appeared showing her repeatedly and harshly whipping a horse. The equestrian competitor, who previously won six Olympic medals, including two golds in London 2012 and a bronze in Rio 2016, was set to compete in both individual and team events.
However, she has now pulled out of this summer's events, which start Friday, stating that the shocking footage from four years ago "shows that I made a mistake in judgment during a training session."
The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) announced that she has been suspended for six months following a formal complaint to the organization.
Stefan Wensing, the whistleblower's attorney, told The Telegraph that while giving a lesson to a student, "Dujardin took the long whip and hit the horse more than 24 times in one minute with great force, really harshly." He added that the horse was like "an elephant in a circus."
The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) and British Dressage (BD) noted "allegations of animal care misconduct" that "the International Equestrian Federation will now fully investigate."
