Charlotte Dujardin

Any person who mistreats animals deserves a prison sentence.

How many serial killers started out abusing animals.

HattieTopper, there really is no comparison with the kind of ‘training’ methods being scrutinised and criticised here with psychopaths who torture animals

I’m sure I’m not the only one here who occasionally gives thought to CdJ’s mental health status right now. I cannot imagine the stress she must be under.

Urmstongran

I’m sure I’m not the only one here who occasionally gives thought to CdJ’s mental health status right now. I cannot imagine the stress she must be under.

I hope she is all right too, she must feel distressed and humiliated.
She has a very young child to consider.

From all I have seen of her, this incident did seem out of character, although she didn't seem to be in a temper when she was doing it.
If it was her normal practice, I'm surprised it wasn't noticed by others at the centre where she trains, particularly by Carl Hester.

The Olympics eventing dressage is currently on and the commentary is excellent, very informative. It's at an advanced level so includes extended and collected paces, half passes, flying changes etc most amateurs don't manage to train to that level. It's well worth a quick look if anyone is worried that dressage is cruel, unnatural etc It's also a good opportunity to see how spurs are used, they don't touch the horse unless the ride turns the heel in to give an aid and if they injure the horse in any way, just a tiny spot of blood and it's elimination, so they are always used very carefully and properly.

Pain and distress can be experienced without blood ,

Urmstongran

I’m sure I’m not the only one here who occasionally gives thought to CdJ’s mental health status right now. I cannot imagine the stress she must be under.

You're certainly not the only one, Ug, and kudos to you for being brave enough to say this on a thread where the consensus seems to be that she is a monster of depravity and those of us trying to introduce some nuance may be considered to be complicit. 👏

I can't begin to imagine just how devastated she must be.

She broke rules surely

Anniebach

Pain and distress can be experienced without blood ,

You are correct, Ab.

But you need to look critically at the horses in action to determine which ones are experiencing pain and distress and those which are working in trust and harmony with their rider.

There are clear FEI rules/guidelines on judging dressage tests which should mark down horses which appear to be under stress. Unfortunately, judges at the highest level don't always observe the rules, correctness of movements taking precedence over how that correctness is achieved...

It should be noted that spurs are blunt. It takes extremely excessive use to draw blood with them. Which is why the presence of blood = elimination.

Urmston 👍🏻🙏🏽

The problem is that now everything is on social media and everyone has an opinion, the person can be villified and shunned constantly and that could affect their mental health.

At one time it would have been a one day wonder, reported in the newspapers one day, fish and chip paper the next.

Urmstongran

I’m sure I’m not the only one here who occasionally gives thought to CdJ’s mental health status right now. I cannot imagine the stress she must be under.

Her world has literally fallen apart and, yes, I’ve been worried right from the start. I can’t begin to imagine the dark place that she’s in now.

And how the silver medalist at the previous games must feel

Anniebach

And how the silver medalist at the previous games must feel

Why?

Charlotte won those medals fair and square.

Unless you have a problem with the judges decisions, of course...

Well, she'll take her rightful place this year hopefully.

Callistemon213

The problem is that now everything is on social media and everyone has an opinion, the person can be villified and shunned constantly and that could affect their mental health.

At one time it would have been a one day wonder, reported in the newspapers one day, fish and chip paper the next.

Indeed. And let's not forget that we've seen how badly things can turn out when others have been publicly shamed or vilified in the media. Caroline Flack springs to mind...

Anniebach

And how the silver medalist at the previous games must feel

My earlier post about Sharron Davies' comments on coming 2nd to a performance enhancing drug taker showed that athletes cannot bear rancour. Or it screws them up.

I also hope CDJ is ok.

I dont like the 'threat' of mental health or worse being used in order to stop discussion, it worries me. It is possible for harm to be caused the 'other way', so I dont want to see alleged domestic assault or animal cruelty not discussed because of concerns relating to the persons mental health.

She'll be mortified, depressed, and embarrassed, I'd imagine, but she will get over it (and get over herself in the process, hopefully)

Charlotte has said publicly that she considered self-harming when a her fiance left her. It was only her horse Gio which saved her, she said.

Can be discussed but surely not put forward as an explanation?

Galaxy

I dont like the 'threat' of mental health or worse being used in order to stop discussion, it worries me. It is possible for harm to be caused the 'other way', so I dont want to see alleged domestic assault or animal cruelty not discussed because of concerns relating to the persons mental health.

We're not threatening, just mentioning that we are concerned about her state of mind at the moment.

This thread seems to have gone here, there and everywhere in attempts to almost defend this woman.

Blurry film, you have to know about horses to understand, personal problems, now we're going down the mental health route.

I do not condone cruelty to animals.