Charlotte Dujardin damehood plans scrapped as Olympic champion has funding suspended

The video of British Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin repeatedly striking a horse with a long whip has cost her a damehood and public funding.

Dujardin needed one medal in Paris to become Britain’s most successful female Olympian but a backlash over her shock ban leaves her career in tatters. A top honour from the King, which would have been certain if she secured a podium spot in Paris, is now “off the table”, Whitehall insiders told Telegraph Sport.

On a day of fallout that rocked the equestrianism world, Dujardin was also stripped by UK Sport of funding and dropped as an ambassador by an equine welfare charity.

Dujardin also saw two sponsors withdraw their backing, with equestrian insurance company KBIS and Danish equestrian equipment company Equine LTS announcing that they would no longer support her. The former said in a statement that it “cannot and will not condone behaviour” that was seen in the video, while the latter said they were “shocked and saddened by the video” and “do not condone this form of behaviour”.

Earlier on Wednesday, the whistleblower’s lawyer had gone public with the video - sharing it with Telegraph Sport - that showed Dujardin hitting a horse on the back of the legs while teaching a 19-year-old English student in Gloucestershire. The footage appears to capture Dujardin saying “This is so s--- at hitting them hard” in an apparent reference to her whip striking the animal 24 times.

Dujardin, 39, is seen teaching the horse the ‘piaffe’, a slow-motion trot technique dating back to the Renaissance. But those giving instruction in the piaffe typically do so by tapping the horse very lightly, just to encourage it to lift its legs.

After equestrian’s governing body the FEI suspended her for six months on Tuesday, animal charities reacted with horror to the footage as it surfaced. The RSPCA, which has powers to bring criminal prosecutions, stopped short of announcing its own investigation, but said “We are ready to provide any support to their [the FEI’] work, if required.”

With the Games opening on Friday, the spotlight now turns on former team-mates Carl Hester, who regards Dujardin as his protege and owns the yard she coaches out of, and world champion Lottie Fry.

Fry has already faced scrutiny over her own treatment of horses in recent months, having been eliminated from the dressage World Cup Final in Riyadh in April. Her stallion Everdale was judged to have blood in the mouth prior to starting her test. The FEI, the equestrian governing body, had also previously looked at pictures allegedly showing one of her horses with “blue tongue”, which can indicate a lack of oxygen caused by the rider’s hand. Telegraph Sport has been told no inquiries are outstanding into equine welfare against Fry, however. British Equestrian said blood incident was bad luck on her behalf.

Travelling reserve Becky Moody takes Dujardin’s place with her horse Jägerbomb.

The video had caught many Team GB senior figures unawares, but Mark England, Team GB’s chef de mission, said “we clearly acknowledge the seriousness of this matter, as has Charlotte through her own statement”. “It’s absolutely right that there is a full investigation by the FEI and we trust and abide by their processes when it comes to the important matter of horse welfare,” he added.

UK Sport, the Government funding body for elite athletes, then confirmed “in line with our Eligibility Policy, Charlotte Dujardin’s eligibility to receive public funding and access to publicly funded benefits has now been suspended” pending the outcome of the investigation.

“We expect all staff and athletes in Olympic and Paralympic sport to adhere to the highest standards of behaviour, ethics and integrity,” the body added. “We are disturbed by the serious concerns that have been raised in the past 24 hours regarding horse welfare and Charlotte Dujardin.”

Horse and donkey welfare charity Brooke added that “Charlotte is no longer an ambassador for Brooke”. “We were deeply disturbed to learn of the recent video of Charlotte Dujardin,” the charity added.

Dujardin, meanwhile, has gone to ground, with her spokeswoman telling Telegraph Sport she has no comment after describing her “error of judgement” in a statement on Tuesday. She is already the recipient of a CBE. When asked whether a review could eventually be launched over that honour, Government insiders said the committee would await the FEI’s findings. Only figures facing major disgrace tend to be stripped of honours, insiders point out, however.

Stephan Wensing, the whistleblower’s lawyer, had sent the video to Telegraph Sport and other outlets on Wednesday, after saying her actions were like “an elephant in the circus”. He told Telegraph Sport his client had been warned against speaking out in the UK before “eventually making a decision to let me admit the complaint to the FEI” on Monday.

Dujardin has not commented specifically on the contents of the video but said the incident took place four years ago. Wensing said the incident took place in 2022.

“What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils,” she said in a statement. “However, there is no excuse. I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment.”

The FEI’s horse abuse provisions are dealt with under article 142 of its regulations and allow for the rider to be disciplined even when the incident happened out of competition.