Cases of animal cruelty have been a problem in dressage for months. Now, ahead of the games in Paris, a particularly high-profile case has emerged.
The ban on British dressage Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin because of a training video relevant to animal welfare has surprised the German Olympic team. “We first found out about it from the media, we don’t know the video,” said delegation leader Dennis Peiler to the German Press Agency. “But such news is always bad for the sport.” Cases of animal cruelty in the USA and Denmark have been preoccupying the dressage scene for several months.
The world association FEI announced on Tuesday evening that Dujardin had been provisionally suspended. The 39-year-old had herself requested this suspension pending investigations into a video. The video shows Dujardin acting against the welfare of a horse. She herself admitted that her behavior had been inappropriate.
This means that one of the biggest competitors of the German dressage team, including double Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, will be missing from the games in Paris. The British team, which was previously considered the favorite to win gold, is significantly weakened by the absence of Dujardin. Peiler did not want to comment on the sporting consequences. “We are concentrating on ourselves and not looking at the possible results of other teams,” said the sports director of the German Equestrian Federation. “We have to perform to our best.”
According to the British association BEF, “misconduct in animal welfare” is being investigated in the Dujardin case. “The allegations are serious and the consequences far-reaching,” it continued. Dujardin herself apologized in a statement without going into detail about the video of a student’s training. “I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example at that moment,” she wrote in a statement.
Source: Stern
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