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August 1, 2024
Charlotte Dujardin, Olympic Dressage, 2012
Controversy surrounding horse treatment at the Paris 2024 Olympics has raised animal-welfare concerns in equestrian sports, leading to calls for urgent reforms.
High-profile riders such as Brazilian Carlos Parro and British Charlotte Dujardin are at the centre of some of these allegations of mistreatment following the opening days of the Olympics.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist, Dujardin was caught whipping a horse during a training session, in a video which she said was from four years ago, resulting in widespread backlash.
Following its emergence, the dressage rider withdrew from the Paris Games and released a statement on Instagram, in which she said it was an “error of judgement” and “out of character”, apologising for her actions.
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The International Federation of Equestrian sports (FEI) announced it was investigating the incident and had provisionally suspended the British athlete.
Dujardin said she was fully cooperating with the FEI, adding: “I am sincerely sorry for my actions and devastated that I have let everyone down”.
It is not the only recent controversy the sport has had to deal with. Brazilian dressage rider Parro received a warning by the FEI for alleged horse mistreatment after using a banned technique called ‘rollkur’’- a flexion of the horse’s neck achieved through aggressive force.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which provided photographs as evidence of this alleged treatment, said in a statement: ‘It compromises breathing and can damage the spine and lead to long-term health issues.’ After PETA filed a complaint, the FEI issued a yellow card warning, stating that his actions could have caused ‘unnecessary discomfort’ to his horse, Safira.
Concerns about ethical treatment of horses are not new, there have been increasing calls for significant changes to be made to the sport and to ban equestrian competition from the Olympics. And incidents at this year’s Paris Games have sparked a wider debate about animal welfare.
American equestrian Boyd Martin, who is participating in his fourth Olympics, expressed concern about the news involving Dujardin and Parro. Speaking to the Associated Press, he said: “Horse welfare is incredibly important, these wonderful animals mean so much. Your teammate is an animal in this sport and what we saw was inexcusable.”
PETA has filed numerous complaints, issued public statements and is pressing the Olympics to ban equestrian events. The animal welfare organisation said: ‘Horses don’t choose to compete in the Olympics – they’re forced into submission through violence and coercion.’
Following the Dujardin video, the FEI released a number of reforms, which involve the implication of more ethical training methods and clearer guidelines on how horses should be treated.
Additionally, equestrian show jumping is set to be removed from modern pentathlon after the 2024 Olympics, following an incident where German coach Kim Raisner appeared to punch a horse when it refused to jump at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The ongoing investigations call for stricter regulations that may incorporate further changes to the sports, and the equestrian community is being pressed to reflect on its practices to make necessary reforms to protect animal welfare.
