Tens of thousands have signed a petition to ban equestrian events after two prominent horse riders at the Paris Olympics were ensnared by severe disciplinary measures.
ADVERTISEMENTHorse riding practices and ethics are again in the eye of the storm after a series of scandals hit the sport during the Paris Olympics.
Charlotte Dujardin, Great Britain's joint-most successful female Olympian, has withdrawn from the Games and received a provisional suspension by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) after footage emerged appearing to show her repeatedly striking a horse with a whip in a coaching session.
The clip, published by UK TV show Good Morning Britain, sparked a wave of angry reactions and comments and prompted animal charity Brooke to drop Dujardin as their ambassador.
“We were deeply disturbed to learn about this video", the charity said.
The footage was taken around two years ago. Dujardin called it an "error of judgement" that doesn't "reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils", as she offered her apologies on Instagram.
However, a lawyer speaking on behalf of the person who filed a complaint against Dujardin claimed that that was "a standard way of training horses" at her stables.
Brazilian rider reprimanded over horse neck hyperflexion
A few days after Dujardin's suspension, equestrian authorities slapped Brazil's rider Carlos Parro with a yellow warning card for potentially causing "unnecessary discomfort" to his horse Safira during the Paris Olympics.
The FEI received photos and evidence of Parro hyper-flexing a horse's neck, a prohibited move known as "Rollkur" that can compromise the animal's breathing.
The public backlash comes three years after a coach for Germany was suspended from the Tokyo Olympics for striking an uncooperative horse.
A petition on Charge.org for the removal of horse disciplines from the Olympics has already gained nearly 30,000 signatures. The cause is also backed by NGOs such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has long protested horse racing.
Horses will not be part of the modern pentathlon beginning in Los Angeles in 2028.
"If you are involved in a horse sport, be it polo, be it dressage, be it show jumping, be it horse racing, the priority has to be the welfare of the horse," says Lisa Lazarus, CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority that oversees the sport in the US.
"If that isn't the priority and if it isn’t kind of clear to the public and to regulators that the horse is being prioritised and its welfare is being prioritised, the sport will be in jeopardy," she added.