WINDSOR, ENGLAND - JULY 28: Charlotte Dujardin attends the 2018 International Day Polo at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club on July 28, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Following the withdrawal of Charlotte Dujardin from the Paris Olympics and subsequent suspension by the FEI over a video that shows her “engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare” H&H contacted Stephan Wensing, the Dutch lawyer representing the claimant who filed the official complaint with the FEI, to clarify some of the conflicting reports.
One of these was when the incident took place. While Charlotte’s statement, which can be read in full below, said the training session was four years ago, Mr Wensing disputes this.
“My client insists the video was filmed two and a half years ago, not four as in Charlotte Dujardin’s statement,” he said. “That would’ve been impossible because the whole world was locked down due to the pandemic.”
He added that the girl riding the horse in the video is not in any way involved in raising the official complaint.
“My client is the one filming and the girl on the horse in the lesson has nothing to do with it,” said Mr Wensing. “My client was a former student of Charlotte Dujardin and had been to her barn a couple of times and had noticed what she now considers abuse.
“But at the time she was thinking, ‘Charlotte is a superstar, she’s the best rider in the world, so she knows what she’s doing – this must be normal’.
“[During the training session shown on the video] Charlotte Dujardin explained to the student and my client that the horse wasn’t cantering enough and must lift up its legs more. It was nothing to do with piaffe or passage – it was a small tour horse, not a grand prix horse.”
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Many equestrian fans, and others, have questioned the timing of the release of the video, so close to the Paris Olympics where Charlotte may have become Britain’s most medal-winning female athlete.
“At the time [the video was recorded] my client was thinking this must be normal,” he said. “Then there was some doubt and she began thinking this isn’t okay. She spoke with a few people in the dressage industry who warned her not to do anything because they’ll come after you.
“She was also afraid of victim-blaming so she didn’t do anything with it. But then two other riders were suspended, so she became a little braver.
“Then a few weeks ago she hired me as her lawyer to submit a formal complaint to the FEI. But she was still doubting whether or not it was the right decision for a few reasons.
“First of all, it’s not that she’s celebrating this and drinking champagne, she’s aware there’s a human aspect to this story. The other thing is that she was afraid the FEI wouldn’t take her seriously. It’s not easy to make a step like this.”
Mr Wensing described comments suggesting that the timing of the complaint was designed to sabotage Britain’s medal hopes as “ridiculous”.
“If she wanted to release this at the worst possible time, she would have done it during or after the Olympics. That would’ve been the worst scenario for the British team – at least now they have an alternate that can come in and it doesn’t harm them that much.”
Charlotte Dujardin’s statement (23 July 2024)
A video has emerged from four years ago which shows me making an error of judgement during a coaching session. Understandably, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) is investigating and I have made the decision to withdraw from all competition – including the Paris Olympics – while this process takes place.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 in that moment.I am sincerely sorry for my actions and devastated that I have let everyone down, including Team GB, fans and sponsors.I will cooperate fully with the FEI, British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage during their investigations, and will not be commenting further until the process is complete.Charlotte Dujardin, 23rd July 2024
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Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
