Earlier this week, a video surfaced showing British dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin repeatedly hitting a horse with a whip. On her own initiative, Dujardin was suspended for the duration of the investigation and is therefore also forfeiting her participation in the Olympics. Meanwhile, the animal rights group PETA has called on the IOC to remove equestrian sports from the next Olympic Games.
Dutch lawyer Stephan Wensing, who represents the whistleblower in the video, told the BBC that the case was about "saving dressage." "It's not enjoyable to ruin someone's career. She's not celebrating; she doesn't feel like a hero," he said. "But she told me this morning that this had to be done because she wants to save dressage."
Despite the action taken by the FEI and the immediate suspension, PETA is now once again eager to have equestrian sports removed from the program of the future Games. "The message to the International Olympic Committee should now be clear: remove equestrian sports from the Olympic Games," PETA said in a post on X. "Once again, an animal rights organization is using the actions of an individual, however important they may be, to make life difficult for everyone," the community reacts.
"Dujardin is being punished for its actions, and in recent years, there has been a growing awareness and drive within the community to make animal welfare the top priority. The images we see of Dujardin are heartbreaking, but they are not representative!"