Don’t be so quick to judge – reflection on Charlotte Dujardin’s withdrawal from the Olympics.

Headline news in the Equestrian world this morning is that British Olympian Charlotte Dujardin has voluntarily withdrawn from the British Olympic team due to the FEI (governing body) investigating her for a potential case of horse abuse relating to a video submitted to them of her training a 4 year old horse 4 years ago.? Please note – I have not seen the video so do not know the nature of the abuse, so this is a general reflection on the issues that this case raises.

While I absolutely do not support abuse of any form on animals (or humans), there are a couple of points I want to raise here for reflection, as having previously trained and ridden horses as what I would like to think of as a relatively good amateur, I have given up this pastime and now teach teenagers – trust me there are similarities!

Firstly, what has been deemed acceptable and unacceptable practice in training (horses or children) has changed over time.? There was a time it was perfectly acceptable (indeed expected) that parents would slap their children as a form of discipline (ie training) but in many countries this is now considered abuse.? While I am not condoning this practice, I’m raising the point that as times change our views and opinions change and while I have not seen the video of Charlotte so cannot judge on the circumstances of her actions, I do question the validity of evidence being accepted that has occurred significantly far back in time.? To judge anyone’s historical actions by today’s standards may be unfair – it may be a statement of character as to what they previously might have done, but I do question whether we would now go back and prosecute every parent who occasionally smacked their children when they were younger prior to such action being banned in some countries.?

Secondly, let’s just stop and think about the nature of equestrian sport which starts with the process of a horse being ‘broken in’, and in dressage there are marks for submission.? Anyone with a teenager knows that they argue back, and the more a parent demands submission, the more a teenager is likely to rebel.? The same is largely true of horses.? Anyone who has tried riding a horse that does not want to work with them knows that they will not go down the centre line (first move in dressage) if they do not want to; eventers do not jump huge cross-country fences if they don’t want to; and show jumpers do not jump show jumps if they don’t want to.? Does that mean there are not opportunities for abuse in training – absolutely there are, but ultimately horses are living creatures who contribute to the conversation, and persistently abused horses do not enjoy their jobs and ultimately fail competitively.? That said, the partnership in the conversation is not equal.? I have never forgotten a horse breeder once saying to me that ‘horses don’t have ambition, only riders do’.? Is rider ambition then the ultimate abuse?? Follow this line of argument and riding should be banned completely.

Thirdly, Charlotte’s statement on the matter is, I feel, outstanding.? She hasn’t denied that she overstepped a mark.? She has publically admitted she is ashamed of herself.? She has withdrawn herself (albeit she would probably have been suspended).? She is awaiting the outcome of an investigation and has said she won’t comment further until this occurs.? She has noted that this was an out of character incidence.? Does any of this excuse abuse – no it doesn’t – and I’m sure there will be some reading this who think her eating humble pie is a front, and maybe it is.? But we are talking about someone who’s whole world has just fallen in on them – I can’t begin to imagine how she must be feeling right now.? I have no doubt that Charlotte does not get up in the morning wanting to abuse horses; she had a bad day on the occasion this occurred.? Does that excuse it?? No.? But how many parents have gone to bed at night regretting having argued with or shouted at their teenagers?? How many parents are lying awake questioning whether they overstepped a mark and have alienated their kids?? Indeed, how many are wondering if their kids will ever really talk to them again?? In my experience, horses are more forgiving than teenagers which arguably leaves them more open to abuse, but there is not a human being alive today who can honestly say they haven’t had a bad day, and haven’t done things they regret when tired, stressed, overwhelmed, or even scared. ?? So until we know the full facts of Charlotte’s case, let’s not be too quick to judge – her response to such a public take down is, I believe, testament to her character and humility.

Let’s take that in comparison with the actions of whoever sent the video to the FEI.? This video was allegedly taken 4 years ago, and was given to the FEI one week before the Olympics at which Charlotte was odds on to medal at.? This is not about horse welfare for the person submitting the video – it is a well timed personal attack on a professional and says much more about whoever they are than it does about Charlotte.? And the timing is also incredibly damaging for the sport.? The costs involved in Charlotte preparing for and travelling to Paris, her support team, owners, the British Equestrian organisation etc – all efforts wasted and undermined by a maliciously timed release of a video.? One has to question the motives of this person in being anti-equestrian sport per se rather than concerned about horse welfare.? Shame on them to raise this in such a manner – it is a cowardly act of bullying of a successful athlete.? Again, I’m not saying the matter should not have been raised if it is indeed abuse, but the timing of the release suggests motives beyond that simply of horse welfare.? Now I know many may be thinking that humans don’t often report abuse that has occurred to them until well after the fact – but the horse is not doing the reporting here, it is an external observer.? If a parent rocked up at a school 4 years after their child left to complain about something a teacher had said/taught 4 years previously, they would not even be listened to.? If nothing else, this incident highlights the need for bystanders to speak up when they witness an injustice – not to wait until a time that suits them.? The horse in question would have needed their support 4 years ago, not today – as would any human in a similar situation.

I suspect many equestrians are sitting in fear today wondering if someone somewhere has a video of them doing something that might appear to be abuse?? Anyone who has used basic training aids such as side-reins will know that a horse can react to something, and things can go wrong very quickly – quicker than you can resolve them.? Anyone who has ridden in draw-reins will know that horses can turn themselves inside out in them if they panic.? Yes you might argue then that these training aids should be banned, but 99% of the time they are training aids and the horses learn – less than 1% of the time, they can result in incidents that might be considered abuse. How many times have we seen jockey’s pulled up for overuse of the whip but are whips banned?? We also see AFL players banned for a number of matches after reviews of tackles that are felt to be dangerous but is AFL banned? ?In the USA at the moment we are seeing books being banned in various States as a conservative movement is trying to control education around homosexuality and gender identity, so should we ban all books because some people think they are causing harm rather than good?

As I said at the start of this reflection, I am not condoning abuse in any form on any animal or human, and this occurrence has perhaps raised an opportunity for wider conversations in society about what constitutes abuse and who gets to decide?? Teachers are now directed never to be alone with a child in a room with the door closed; not to make any physical contact with children; and to record all online interactions.? Yet what do you do when the infant throws themselves around your legs in the playground out of site of other adults?? What do you do when you when you have two teenagers fighting – pull them apart or not?? What do you do when a child completely loses their cool and could injure either themselves or others?? And in the USA, what do you do when a kid has a gun?? None of these questions have easy answers, and in the heat of the moment, teachers, parents and any human can get it wrong.? Does that make it right?? No, it doesn’t, but it requires some understanding, context, and reflection before judgement is passed. None of us are perfect.