Warning: This article contains graphic images and video which some readers may find distressing.
The chief of British Dressage has spoken out after the release of a video which shows Team GB Olympian, Charlotte Dujardin, whipping a horse's legs while someone else rides it.
Dujardin is now not going to the Olympic Games and has said she will fully comply with the investigation into the video, while she has also been handed a provisional six month ban from competing.
Advert
She said that the video was four years old, while a legal representative for the whistleblower said it had happened 'two and a half years ago'.
Lawyer Stephan Wensing said his anonymous client had felt conflicted about releasing the video but felt 'it had to be done'.
He said: "It's not fun to ruin a career. She's not celebrating; she doesn't feel like a hero.
"But she told me this morning this had to be done because she wants to save dressage."
In response to the video, Jason Brautigam, CEO of British Dressage, penned a message to the organisations members 'in the wake of the distressing news this week'.
He said it had 'been an extremely upsetting time for everyone involved in the sport' and that he and all others were 'let down by these revelations'.
"Let me be clear: the actions we have witnessed in that video are completely unacceptable," he said in his message.
"We have all been shocked and appalled by this indefensible conduct. As I have always said, the horse is at the heart of everything we do in British Dressage, and equine welfare must always be paramount above all other considerations.
"As the National Governing Body for the sport of dressage in the UK, our primary aim is to uphold and promote the highest standards of horse care and well-being."
Brautigam also said that 'we did not receive any complaint or have any sight of the video prior to this week', saying that if British Dressage had received it sooner, 'we would have acted swiftly and decisively'.
The CEO said there was 'no justification for using training methods that are abusive, cause fear or inflict pain'.
He said: "While we cannot collectively be held responsible for the actions of individuals behind closed doors, we can hold them to account when breaches of our rules and regulations come to light.
"We will be measured on how we now react to this situation.
"The sport of dressage is not defined by one person – and no one person is bigger than our sport."
Later in his statement he did question some aspects of the video, particularly the time of it being released.
He said: "We are all role models, and it is going to be incumbent on all of us to prove why dressage and the welfare of the horse actually go hand in hand.
"I do find claims that this was done to 'save dressage' somewhat disingenuous, given that it was timed to cause maximum damage to our sport.
"However, what will save dressage is how we all respond to this crisis by demonstrating our love and care for horses."
Wensing had said previously that his client 'could not bring themselves to allow Dujardin to win medals at the Olympics'.
The British Dressage chief ended his message by calling on members to 'rally our support around Carl, Lottie and Becky' at the Olympics.
Joe Harker