Three-time Olympic dressage gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin receives ban in light of horse-whipping controversy

British Olympian Charlotte Dujardin has been suspended for one year for 'excessively' whipping a horse. The three-time Olympic champion accepted the ban and claimed she would always aim to do better.

Dujardin is the joint most decorated British Olympian in history alongside Laura Kenny and was aiming to add to her six-medal haul at the Paris Olympics when video footage emerged, showing the 39-year-old repeatedly whipping a horse.

She withdrew from the Olympics after the video went viral and was handed a provisional suspension by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, who subsequently launched an investigation into the four-year-old incident. Dujardin has now admitted to three charges, receiving a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs and a one-year suspension which ends in July 2025, the FEI said on Thursday (Dec. 5).

The six-time Olympic medalist also accepted the suspension and apologized for her actions. In a statement to the PA news agency, she said:

"I fully respect the verdict issued by the Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), released today.

"As the federation has recognised, my actions in the video do not reflect who I am and I can only apologise again. I understand the responsibility that comes with my position in the sport, and I will forever aim to do better."

Meanwhile, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibanez stressed that the decision sent a powerful message about the organization's commitment to horse welfare.

"These significant sanctions send a clear message that anyone, regardless of their profile, who engages in conduct that compromises the welfare of the horse will face serious consequences," Ibanez said (via ESPN).

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Charlotte Dujardin announces she is pregnant with second child

Team GB Paris 2024 Olympic Games Equestrian Team Announcement - Charlotte Dujardin with her horse (Source: Getty)

In the aforementioned statement to PA news agency, Charlotte Dujardin announced that she was pregnant and said:

“What I was unable to share at the time is that I am currently pregnant, with my baby due in February.

The 39-year-old added that she and her husband Dean Wyatt-Golding had planned for the child before the Olympics and the whipping controversy, and were focused and excited about the arrival of their new family member.

“This was planned well before the Olympics and something my partner Dean and I have been excited about for a long time. At the moment, the energy I have is focused on Dean and our daughter Isabella, and we are all very much looking forward to the arrival of our new family member," Charlotte Dujardin said.

Dujardin and Wyatt-Golding first met in 2007 and dated on and off for several years. The couple are engaged and welcomed their first child, daughter Isabella in 2023.