British rider disqualified for a year for horse cruelty

British dressage athlete Charlotte Dujardin was suspended from competition for a year and fined for cruel treatment of a horse. A press release from the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) said on December 5.

"Dujardin is suspended from July 23, 2024 for conduct contrary to the principles of equine welfare. The time served during her provisional suspension will count towards the one-year suspension," the FEI said in a statement on its website.

For the duration of the disqualification, the athlete is ineligible to participate in any events under the jurisdiction of the FEI or national federations. The British Equestrian Federation and the British Dressage Federation, in turn, suspended the rider for the same period.

In addition to the disqualification, the FEI imposed a penalty of a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs (about $11,300) on Dujardin.

The investigation against Dujardin began on July 22, 2024, when the international federation received a video from a lawyer showing the rider excessively whipping a horse during training at a private stable. The athlete admitted that she was indeed her in those images and voluntarily withdrew from the Paris 24 Olympics. Dujardin has also agreed to a temporary suspension from competition while the investigation is ongoing and has cooperated with the FEI in the proceedings.

It is established that the episode caught on video is an isolated case of cruelty to a horse.

Earlier, on October 26, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) disqualified two referees, Bartosz Frankowski and Tomasz Musyal, until June 2025 after they stole a road sign in Lublin while under the influence of alcohol. The referees were accused of violating the "basic rules of decent behavior", discrediting the sport and UEFA.