Is it true about Charlotte Dujardin withdrawing from the Olympics?

[Freakwave897]

Or is it fake news?

It’s so disappointing if true…

I am a huge fan and can’t quite believe what I am hearing.

It’s perplexing. I fully expected some high profile riders to respond today but absolute crickets! The more that silence goes on the more those same riders look culpable of the same tactics. Are they silent because they don’t want to get exposed? Because they feel sorry for her? And the most silent are those who’ve been the greatest cheerleaders for equine welfare… Carl, if you’re reading this you really should make a statement imho.

Judges and officials have been advised not to comment by BD - according to posts on SM.

I’m busy removing anyone from my feeds who is excusing or minimising this behaviour.

This is disgusting, worse than the one this morning- the bragging about how hard the whip hits, laughing- sickening

I’ve seen some bad riding, poor treatment and unkind practices but this, from her, I am so shocked

No one will say anything, they will have been advised as such

I have been hugely shocked by this and incredibly disappointed.
After the years of cruel methods including Rolkur I truly believed CDJ was getting the results from a more natural method and going back to proper riding and development.
I have been a bit perplexed over the last few years to see her get results so quickly on so many different horses. But I put it down to experience and a textbook natural approach.

Now it seems all she has done is taken shortcuts. Her horses have looked more and more like the continental style but I put that down to breeding. Obviously not.

Valegro/Blueberry was obviously a very talented horse and under the mentorship of CH it was a winning combination.

She just went on to monetise that and of course clients expect results. To get them she cheated and lied.

To me the horse looks off behind - possibly stress or lack of strength to do what is being asked or a veterinary issue. No one knows the horse, so it's impossible to tell. However bunny hopping behind indicates there's an issue of some sort. And it won't be sorted by beating the horse.

Edit to say lack of strength isn't a bad thing. It just means that the horse needs more lower level work to build the strength to do a particular movement - the same as when people train at gym or run distances. The key is doing correct foundation exercises to condition the horse and build strength. Collected exercises like piaffe and collected canter take a lot of strength as the horse is asked to maintain rhythm while decreasing forward momentum. The beginning of all exercises with horses is a couple of steps of what you're asking for, then you let them come out of the exercise and have a break doing something they find easy, then set up and ask for another couple of steps. And then you build how long it's maintained over many, many rides.

Please don't think all dressage is bad. At it's lower levels it's about strengthening and suppling the horses so they develop correct muscles to carry a rider. Many riders do not abuse their animals. I had one instructor want to take my horse for "boot camp". I didn't like the adversive language she was using so there was no way in hell I'd let her have my horse without me around. He is a good boy who tries really hard and I will not let someone beat up on him.

I've watched one local olympian give many cross county lessons and he is amazing. Always thinking about the horse and how to build their confidence. I saw him get on someones horse in a lesson as she wasn't doing what he was telling her and the horse was losing confidence. 5 mins with him riding (no whips were used!) and the horse was a different animal - in a good way. Relaxed, confident. That's a good instructor and a great rider.

Whistleblower won’t have thought of that.
I rather think she might have but took the decision to do the right thing, very brave, we need more people like her in the world 🙂

Those saying there should be no more dressage, you are basically saying no one should ever ride a horse. If that is what you mean say that.
Dressage is the basis for all ridden work. It teaches the green horse to carry its rider. It then progresses and when done properly keeps the horse fit, supple and injury free in whatever discipline it engages. That might be competition or simply hacking.

Looking back at the video again, when she double hands the lunge whip, she says "these are so shit at hitting hard". Does that sound like a one off? Or an error of judgement?

If that were true, only dressage horses could be ridden, which is of course nonsense. The green horse learns to carry its rider first and foremost through trust, balance and feedback. The rules of dressage are a human construct. Many things keep a horse fit and supple outside of dressage, and to say dressage horses are injury free is laughable.

it also teaches the rider (when taught properly) to control their own body for the benefit of the horse, to use light gentle methods of communication and to form a real partnership. It may look like the rider just sits there, but I have done a bit of riding for love of it, never got beyond really really novice but believe me when you are trying to properly learn, a riding lesson is a real workout.

that's not at all what @WineWhineWine meant. Competitive anything is different from doing it as a physical exercise.

The whole sport needs a shake up. I’m late 40’s now but was a junior showjumper as a child and there were plenty of trainers and parents operating in a cruel way, to ponies and to children. I also went on a 2 day child’s eventing course taught by a certain Captain. He was awful to everyone and my mum refused to take us back for the second day.

It has really upset me too … vile people. I just hope that this might be the impetus to completely change the way that everyone involved in the ‘sport’ will completely change their ways and put the welfare of their horses first every time.

No I am not saying that people should not ride horses, I have ridden plenty of times. But dressage isn't riding horses and it seems some of the practices around the training are questionable.

That’s not what we are ‘basically’ saying at all

@Summernightsinthe21stcentury @Fiddlerdragon so are riders allowed inside an arena? How do you define dressage?

Dressage is completely tainted now - probably has been for years. The IOC are looking closely at the FEI and how it handles cases like this one.

@WineWhineWine
I don't define dressage, and I have no idea what question you are asking of me.
If you are telling me that a horse has to be trained in dressage for a person to ride it, I'd say that's not correct.My family had a horse when I was a child, from a foal, that the local farmer broke in for us, and we went to Ireland many times on holiday when I was a child to farms there to ride their horses.
I really don't know a single thing about dressage, but I worry when you see her whipping the horse that that is how they are all doing it.

She’s nasty

@Summernightsinthe21stcentury that is not how “everyone is doing it”.

As a non-horse person, who has watched the video.

The behaviour shown is not a rare error of judgement, or someone momentarily losing control. That is absolutely relaxed, casual, routine, something CDJ has done a thousand times before.

Those speculating about motives and sabotage. My first thoughts are a then-underage rider, mid-teens, distressed at what is happening, but unsure what to do. Possibly conditioned to think it is normal and fine. Or whose parents, who pay for everything, are up to their neck in it, and possibly even the vile cackler. Or whose family are non-riders, unable to advise or support.

A teenager, unsure, distressed, idealistic, unsupported, but now of legal age, awash in riding buzz about CDJ and Olympics and medals and damehoods, in turmoil and disgusted and now determined to do something. Brave.

That's my interpretation, but again, not a rider.

Whatever their motives, I'm thankful.

I’m not going to try, as you’re clearly going to twist anything I say instead of using the common sense that the rest of us are using.

It’s obvious to anyone watching that this is absolutely not a one off, her body language is very clear that this is normal for her. The statement then just amplifies the situation because you don’t have to know horses to know she’s talking absolute bullshit.