LONDON, Dec 19 —Former Olympic dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin made her return to high-level competition in Britain yesterday following the one-year ban over a horse-whipping controversy that led to her withdrawal from the Paris Games.
The two-day Dressage World Cup in London marks the 40-year-old Briton’s first domestic action at a major event since she was provisionally banned in July 2024.
“Just going back in that arena, there is something so special about riding here, it is incredibly special,” she said, adding that she enjoyed the reception she received.
“Having so many people shout ‘go on Charlotte’, it was very emotional.”
Dujardin scored 76.5 per cent on her horse Alive and Kicking to end the day second behind fellow Briton and reigning world champion Charlotte Fry—who scored 80.7—in the event, which is part of the London International Horse Show.
“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 said of her horse.
“She did her best, there is still so much more to come but on the whole I can’t ask for more.”
Dujardin, who has won six Olympic medals including individual gold in 2012 and 2016, was banned for a year in December by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI).
Dujardin was provisionally suspended in July 2024 when the FEI launched an investigation into a video showing her repeatedly striking a horse on its legs.
The footage, dating back several years, related to a training session at a stable and sparked widespread condemnation.
She withdrew from the Paris Olympics just days before they started, saying she had made an “error of judgement” and expressed deep remorse.
She could have become Britain’s most decorated woman Olympian in the French capital, where a medal of any colour would have taken her clear of cyclist Laura Kenny, with whom she is tied on six medals.
Last December, Dujardin was banned for a year, backdated to July, and fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($12,400). — AFP
