“We have to show the positives of the sport,” was the message from Carl Hester at the Paris Olympics, as he addressed the Charlotte Dujardin video – and the challenges facing equestrian sport.
Following Carl’s grand prix test this morning with the wonderful Fame, which slotted them into third of the group A riders on 77.35%, he tackled the topic of his former teammate.
Last week Charlotte Dujardin withdrew from the dressage team for the Paris Olympics owing to an “error of judgement”, in a coaching session some years ago, captured in a video. Charlotte was suspended by the FEI pending the outcome of the investigation/disciplinary proceedings, and British Equestrian mirrored the suspension.
Carl said the video was “a huge shock to me” and confirmed he was not previously aware of it. The video was not filmed at his property.
“Charlotte’s made her statement, and she’s apologised and given her thoughts on it, which I respect. It’s now an ongoing investigation with the FEI,” said Carl.
“I’ve known Charlotte for 17 years, she’s a mum, and she’s paid very heavily for this in a way that you just wouldn’t believe. I know she will have to accept what the FEI gives her, and she will, but I just hope that she’s strong enough to be able to come back from that. Nobody’s going to support [what was seen in the video]. You can’t. But my personal opinion of Charlotte over 17 years – I have not seen that.”
Carl added that he has not seen Charlotte as he has been in Paris, but he said he knew that things are “very, very difficult” for her.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“She’s surrounded by people who are trying to help her. She obviously accepts what she did and I’m glad she’s done that. And everyone can see she’s done that,” he said.
“This was four years ago, people do make mistakes. Right now it’s going to be a long road for her, and a lesson for everybody in the horse world. We’ve got to put the horses first and show that.”
Moving forwards, Carl said that “we have to show the positives of the sport”.
“We can show how much we love our horses, and how we train them,” he said. “As we see from the sport here in Paris; the last few days we’ve seen amazing sport and we’ve seen the care that everyone’s getting, the grooms here are incredibly hard working, how they love and look after the horses. And I hope that really starts to show.”
To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout the Olympic Games, Burghley, the Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
