Multiple major sponsors have cut ties with dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin after a video emerged of her whipping a horse repeatedly.
The Team GB athlete was due to compete in both the individual and team events in Paris but withdrew from this summer’s games after footage of a training session from several years ago was shared by a whistleblower.
Dujardin said the video – which shows her whipping a horse that another person is riding – was an “error of judgement during a coaching session”.
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She said what happened was “completely out of character” adding that she was “deeply ashamed” and “sincerely sorry”.
Since the video emerged, numerous equestrian companies that had ties with the athlete have said they will be ending their partnerships with her with immediate effect.
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Dujardin whipping scandal explained
Dave Derby, chief executive of horse riding helmet maker Charles Owen, said on Thursday that while he understands the sentiment of Dujardin’s statement, the company had decided to “terminate our sponsorship agreement”.
He said the company “considers any actual or perceived mistreatment of any horse to be totally unacceptable at any level of the sport”.
Dujardin competing in 2019. Pic: PA
Saddle makers Fairfax Saddles said it was “shocked and saddened” by the video of Dujardin, who is one of the “well-known users” of their products.
“We do not condone this behaviour. As a result, we are withdrawing our association with her with immediate effect,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
Dujardin was meant to compete in the Paris Olympics. Pic: PA
Some companies who distanced themselves from Dujardin also spoke to her character.
Bloomfields Horseboxes said the athlete had “always been professional, kind and dedicated” over the three years they had worked together. But they said they were “shocked and saddened” by the video and had decided to suspend their brand association with her.
Equestrian product company LeMieux urged people on social media to remember that Dujardin “is a real person, facing unprecedented pressures and challenges”.
The British-owned company said it hopes coverage of the story “can be a force for greater good and improve horse welfare in the future”.
Several other companies associated with Dujardin – including sportswear company Roeckl Equestrian, which had worked with her for over a decade – have also cut ties with the dressage rider.
Dujardin has been given a provisional ban from the sport by the world governing body – the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) – which will remain in place until the outcome of an investigation into the incident.
British Equestrian (BEF) and British Dressage (BD) said the FEI received a complaint that outlined “allegations of animal welfare misconduct”.
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Both British bodies have also imposed provisional suspensions from all national and international competitions pending the outcome of the FEI investigation.
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Team GB announced on Wednesday that Becky Moody riding Jagerbomb will replace Dujardin becoming the third member of the dressage team.
Competition in the equestrian dressage begins on 30 July in Versailles.