Charlotte Dujardin: Britain’s golden girl loses lustre

PARIS – Charlotte Dujardin could have become Britain’s most decorated female Olympian in Paris. Instead, the dressage star has pulled out of the Games due to an “error of judgment”.

The 39-year-old was one of the stars of London 2012 following double gold on Valegro, trained by her Olympic teammate and mentor Carl Hester, who will compete at his seventh Olympics in France.

Dujardin retained her individual title on the same horse in Rio four years later and won team silver, adding two bronze medals in Tokyo in 2021, this time on Gio.

That took her to six Olympic medals – level with British cycling great Laura Kenny.

But she will not get the chance to overtake Kenny in Paris, citing an “error of judgment during a coaching session” in a video that emerged from four years ago.

The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) said it was investigating after it received the video “depicting Ms Dujardin engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare”.

Dujardin said in a statement: “The International Federation for Equestrian Sports is investigating and I have made the decision to withdraw from all competition – including the Paris Olympics – while this process takes place.”

The FEI added that it had received the video from an unnamed lawyer on July 22.

The governing body did not elaborate on the incident but said: “The FEI condemns any conduct contrary to the welfare of horses and has robust rules in place to address such behaviour.”

A later report from AFP said that the footage showed Dujardin using a whip multiple times to strike the legs of a horse.

Dujardin was previously eliminated from the European Championships in 2019 after blood was found on her horse, Mount St John Freestyle, in a post-competition check.

The FEI said the action taken then did not imply there was any intent to injure the horse – and there was no mention of any evidence that suggested that it did happen – but rules are in place to protect all competing horses.

The authorities have taken an increasingly strict line against mistreatment of animals in recent years.

During the Tokyo Games, a German modern pentathlon coach was thrown out for striking a horse.

A review of the sport was launched, resulting in the equestrian element being removed and replaced with an obstacle course in Los Angeles in 2028.

Dujardin was due to compete in both the individual dressage and the team event in Paris alongside Hester and world champion Lottie Fry.

“We are deeply disappointed with this case, especially as we approach the Olympic Games, said FEI president Ingmar de Vos on July 23. “However, it is our responsibility and crucial that we address any instances of abuse.”

Dujardin’s success in London had propelled her into a limelight rarely enjoyed by dressage riders and gave the sport a profile it had yearned for years.

“I have had e-mails asking about how to get started,” she said previously. “I have even had people say I am their hero and cry when they meet me. So absolutely it did a lot for the sport.

“After London they always asked ‘Are you the girl on the dancing horse?’ And men approaching me in pubs ask me ‘Do you make the horse do that or does the horse do it?’ Men who aren’t even horsey watched it and got inspired by it.”

But the highs also came with lows as she revealed in her 2018 autobiography The Girl on the Dancing Horse that she struggled with mental health issues. She was depressed and punished herself by not eating, losing nearly 13kg.

After American gymnast Simone Biles’ public struggles in Tokyo, Dujardin opened up more about her own issues.

“It is hard being successful,” she said. “It is a hard place to be with the pressure and the expectation. Those are quite hard things to have on your shoulders... I have to say having the right people around you supporting you gets you through.”

She will now lean on those same people as she seeks to bounce back from another low point in her career. AFP, REUTERS