2 hours ago
5
Charlotte Dujardin has admitted feeling “very emotional” at the warm reception received from supporters in the former Olympic dressage champion’s first major event after serving a one-year ban from the sport following a horse-whipping controversy.
The 40-year-old is competing at the two-day FEI Dressage World Cup in London, her biggest event since she was banned just before the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Last July a video came to light in which the Olympian was shown whipping a horse more than 20 times in a minute while coaching a young rider, resulting in condemnation from within and outside the sport.
Dujardin, who has won six Olympic medals including individual gold in 2012 and 2016, had a one-year ban imposed on her by equestrian’s international federation, the FEI, last December but had been provisionally suspended since 23 July 2024. Dujardin accepted she had made “an error of judgment” and fully accepted the punishment imposed on her.
At the ExCeL centre, Dujardin scored 76.544 on her horse Alive and Kicking to end the first day of competition in second place behind her fellow British rider and current world champion Charlotte Fry – who scored 80.783 – in the Western European League event.
“Just going back in that arena, there is something so special about riding here, it is incredibly special,” Dujardin said. “Going around the edge and having so many people shout ‘go on Charlotte’, it was very emotional.
“It was so good, it gave me a real buzz to be back. I thoroughly enjoyed it and in the test I could not have done any more with her. She did her best, there is still so much more to come but on the whole I can’t ask for more.”
