I Never Realised The Olympics Is This Year, Sometime.

I honestly don’t think that Charlotte could have achieved what she has with her horses by being cruel to them

And sadly I honestly think she could, Maybee70. Just do a spot of research.

Rosie51, people have been trying to get action taken for years! Nobody seems to care. Just search for information about cruelty in dressage. There was a Danish documentary about this. Nobody has ever taken any notice. Those trying to expose this are threatened with legal action.

Please don't make the mistake of thinking that this abuse is a one off. It's been going on for years. Nobody listens

For those condoning the timing of the release of this video, you do realise you are condoning the likely continuing abuse horses have suffered for the past 4 years don't you? Abuse that could have been stopped much earlier. Surely any animal lover would have wanted this cruelty exposed at the first opportunity so it could be stopped?

I honestly don’t think that Charlotte could have achieved what she has with her horses by being cruel to them. And I know I’m always banging on about this but no one seems to care about the wild mustangs ( which were supposed to have been protected by law) in America that are being rounded up by helicopter ( how terrified must they be) and sent to kill pens .

What a sad day for British Dressage! Carl Hester, who has supported and mentored CDJ for all her career, would not approve of any cruelty to horses and the UK has been leading the world in producing horses that are "happy" athletes rather than tense and unhappy in their work.
The movements performed by Grand Prix dressage horses are all based on what they can do naturally, to suggest it is unnatural is tbh total rubbish. My Hanovarian mare could passage and piaffe from the day she was born but training her to do it under saddle with the lightest of aids was the challenge, same with extended trot and canter, horses do tempis naturally but having the strength to do eleven of them one after the other is about training and acceptance of the aids.
Horses are totally wonderful animals and I am so privileged to have spent my time with them but there are people who treat them badly and I'm totally up for exposing them, there are also people who think horses should not be ridden (under any circumstances). I struggle with that tbh. We've domesticated horses, they no longer roam the plains and let's be honest, if they don't have a place as ridden equines they really don't have much of a future except as animals in a zoo. I speak from experience having owned, trained and competed dressage horses, it is not an inherently cruel sport but some people are unprepared to put in the huge amount of work that correct training requires and some are just totally inexperienced and the horse suffers. I'm fortunate to have watched some of the best trainers in the country and also trained myself with them. I can honestly say that I have only once felt uncomfortable about the training I was receiving and being a bit old and very bolshy I had no problem in ending the lesson and getting my money back.

I'd feel pretty pleased with myself if I'd sat on the info for this long, and waited until it got the best results before releasing it.

Urmstongran

I’m absolutely not condoning her actions, but this comes across as malicious and nasty, someone releasing this footage to the public, just a few days before the games are due to begin!

You can just imagine them, storing this footage away (for FOUR YEARS) and then releasing it to cause maximum damage.

I hope whoever it is, they feel comfortable in what they’ve done. Leaves a nasty taste in the mouth, in my opinion.

Ok, Urmstongran, you're entitled to your opinion.

However, I'm sure that whoever leaked this will feel extreme relief that the abuse is finally being recognised and has reached a world audience. People have been trying for years to get this awful cruelty exposed.

It's been a long time coming

As I said earlier, I wondered if whoever released this clip did so in order to get some attention. And it's worked . The dressage world has managed to keep this sort of abuse under wraps. Many have tried, and failed, to get people understanding what goes on.

Dressage is quite elitist and it just seems able to get away when anyone throws accusations at them. They threaten legal action. And nothing is ever done.

Most of us love the Olympics in our house.

My favourites are the Athletics, the swimming, the gymnastics and horsey events.

If she did this once she has done it before !
The horse world KNEW of this and ignored it ???!!!
Sher has gotten off light with 6 months.

Bravo for those who exposed her for maximum effect.
It’s exactly what she deserves.

You can bet your life that if Charlotte Dujardin uses that particular training method so will others.

I wonder how many other dodgy training techniques will now come to light?

So what if the timing is deliberately to make more impact. It’s good that this cruelty is out in the open. The show jumping bit of the modern pentathlon is being dropped after this games due to cruelty involved.

I’m absolutely not condoning her actions, but this comes across as malicious and nasty, someone releasing this footage to the public, just a few days before the games are due to begin!

You can just imagine them, storing this footage away (for FOUR YEARS) and then releasing it to cause maximum damage.

I hope whoever it is, they feel comfortable in what they’ve done. Leaves a nasty taste in the mouth, in my opinion.

I'm wondering if whoever leaked the clip waited until now for maximum impact.

For whatever reason, dressage seems to escape despite much evidence that it's very cruel.

Polo is another. You can often see blood where the spurs have dug into the horse's flesh.

"Error of judgement" - my arse!!!

Urmstongran

This is the equine #metoo moment. Expect more horses to come forward.

It’s the equine world’s Strictly!.

I’m not condoning her behaviour but whoever filmed it obviously intended to sit on it for four years.

Perfect timing!

She has received a six month ban.

This is the equine #metoo moment. Expect more horses to come forward.

Such cruelty just so someone can win.

I agree karmalady, she is regretful because she got caught.

I have never liked dressage myself. Seeing horses "dancing" is like seeing elephants in circuses in my opinion.

I have seen horses whose neck muscles developed so the their heads were bent into a perfect profile. They spent hours tied down to that position. We had a lot of competition at minor horse shows, it was always the same few who won and we knew why

Not surprising Urmstongran. A lot goes on behind the scene,s out of sight, in the horse dressage world. An error of judgement ,my backside, sheer cruelty and she is regretful because she got caught

Oh, that's not good at all, is it? I could never condone that kind of cruelty. I am sad that someone who was one of our country's greatest-ever Olympians has tarnished her reputation like this, but there's no excuse for that kind of 'training' - and I want to make that clear.

Oh this is sad. And shameful.
Just now in The Telegraph:

“Charlotte Dujardin, Britain’s three-time Olympic champion, has been forced to pull out of Paris 2024 over a video showing her hitting a horse repeatedly on the legs during a slow-motion trot, Telegraph Sport understands.

The equestrian rider, who could have become Britain’s most decorated female Olympian, says there is “no excuse” and she is “deeply ashamed” of the “error of judgment” during a coaching session.

The film was taken four years ago and has been brought to light by a whistleblower, who has hired a Dutch lawyer to bring the case into the public domain. A media outlet in the Netherlands is believed to have obtained the video.

Dujardin posted on social media that she has pulled out of all competition while the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) investigates the incident. The announcement has sent shockwaves through the Team GB camp, with senior officials caught unawares by the announcement.

“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 equestrian world is understood to be on high alert over public perception around animal welfare at the Games. There is a special officer in Paris overseeing welfare, Telegraph Sport has been told.

Sources claim the video was taken during an “educational day” Dujardin had been involved in at a UK site belonging to an established figure in the equestrian world.

‘Someone has waited till a key moment to leak it’
“She is hitting a hose repeatedly on the legs as they try to get it to do a better ‘piaffe’ – the slow-motion trot,” the insider said. “Someone else is riding the horse.

“The FEI is on high alert about public perception, with its new mantra to make riders’ guardians of their horses and the unprecedented appointment, announced two days ago, of a special official in Paris to ensure the horse welfare rules are adhered to.

“It seems – as so often happens – that a video clip has been around for some while, but someone has waited till a key moment like this to leak it.”

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.

Rumours that a damning video existed were spreading among equestrian insiders prior to the announcement. Susan Wachowich, of Dressage Hub, posted a video on Facebook claiming authorities had been called in.”

I found the OPs comment about the days of Ancient Greece having gone very amusing. The modern games are only just over 120 years old!
The difference between then and now is astonishing.
I'm sure OP didn't mean she wanted to see endless coverage (or lack of!) naked men wrestling, which is what most of the ancient games were about!
I am looking forward- not so much to the expensive opening ceremony but the athletes who have been in training for years showing what humans are capable of. Should be exciting and I will be watching most of it, just maybe not the wrestling!