Charlotte Dujardin has faced significant consequences after a video surfaced showing her whipping a horse 24 times in just a minute, according to her longtime mentor and former teammate Carl Hester on Tuesday. Hester, who participated in the opening day of the dressage event, expressed his shock upon viewing the leaked footage from a training session that took place four years ago featuring the six-time Olympic medalist.
“The content of that video is clear, and there’s no way to defend it,” he remarked. “However, in my 17 years of knowing Charlotte, I have never witnessed such behavior.”
Hester, who was the youngest British rider at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and now the oldest on the Paris team at 57, will compete alongside Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Lottie Fry and Dujardin’s substitute, Becky Moody. The qualifying rounds for dressage are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, with finals taking place on Saturday and Sunday.
Moody topped her qualifying group with a score of 74.938% on her self-bred horse, Jagerbomb, which is named after her favorite drink. “We both entered feeling a bit anxious, but we supported each other,” she stated.
Speaking about the Dujardin video, Moody expressed her disappointment. “It doesn’t represent our sport, and it also doesn’t embody the Charlotte I know,” she said. “Everyone needs to remember the human aspect of this situation.”
Dujardin, who began as a groom in Hester’s Gloucestershire stables in 2007, was removed from the Olympics and suspended for six months by the sport’s governing body, leading to the suspension of her Lottery funding by UK Sport.
An accomplished athlete with gold medals in individual and team dressage at the London 2012 Olympics, gold and silver in Rio, and two bronze medals in Tokyo, Dujardin stated that the incident was “totally out of character” and did not reflect her training methods or those of her students, though she acknowledged that there is “no excuse.”
Hester achieved a commendable score of 77.345% on Fame, likely securing his place in the finals on Sunday. Following his initial competitive round in Paris 2024, he gave an emotional interview.
While visibly affected, he described the video as a “massive shock,” clarifying that it was not filmed at his stables and that he was unaware of its existence prior to its release. When asked about Dujardin’s well-being, he stated that he hadn’t seen her but suggested that the situation has been “very tough” for her.
“I’ve known her for 17 years. She’s a mother with a young child,” he said. “She has truly paid the price for this, in ways unimaginable. She’ll need to accept whatever the FEI [the equestrian governing body] determines, and I sincerely hope she is strong enough to rebound from it.”
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Hester was among 10 board members of the International Dressage Riders Club who publicly denounced Dujardin for her horse abuse, stating their support for her suspension. A key figure in British dressage competing in his seventh Olympics, he emphasized that the incident should serve as a valuable lesson for the entire equestrian community.
“That was four years ago; everyone makes mistakes. Should we never forgive people for their past actions?” he questioned. “It’s a long journey ahead for her and a teaching moment for all in the equestrian world. Our priority must be the horses, and that needs to be demonstrated clearly.”
The aftermath of the video continues to impact the sport, raising concerns about the future of dressage as upcoming Games aim to reduce the event count. The equestrian element of modern pentathlon has already been eliminated for the 2028 Los Angeles Games following heavy criticism during the Tokyo Games when a German coach was seen striking a horse.
Regarding the team’s prospects in the wake of Dujardin’s exit – as she aspired to be Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympian – Hester commented:
“We must now strive for any medal possible. We’ve got three outstanding horses, so I remain optimistic, and the girls are really eager to compete.”
