Dujardin 'whipped horse 24 times like a circus elephant'

Charlotte Dujardin, one of the stars of Team GB ahead of the Olympics, has been banned from the Paris Games and dropped as ambassador for an animal charity over allegations she whipped a horse “24 times” like it was “an elephant in a circus”.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

Dujardin, a three-time Olympic champion, earlier withdrew from all competitions due to a video that she said shows her “making an error of judgement during a coaching session” for a young rider four years ago.

Welfare campaign group Brooke said Dujardin was no longer an ambassador. “We were deeply disturbed to learn about this video,” a spokesperson said. “Our whole ethos is around kindness and compassion to horses, and to see the opposite of this from someone with such a high profile is beyond disappointing. There can never be a justification for mistreating animals.”

Stephan Wensing, a lawyer representing the 19-year-old who filed the complaint against Dujardin, said the incident took place when the 39-year-old was telling her student to lift up the legs of the horse. He told The Telegraph: “She took the long whip and she was beating the horse more than 24 times in one minute. It was like an elephant in the circus.”