Charlotte Dujardin free to compete after serving one-year dressage ban

Three-time Olympic dressage gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin plans to return to competition after serving her one-year ban from the sport.

Dujardin, 40, was banned in December by the FEI – the world governing body of equestrian sports – and fined 10,000 Swiss francs (£8,886) for “excessively” whipping a horse.

Video footage emerged in July – days before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympics – of her repeatedly striking the horse with a long whip around its legs.

The international ban, also backed by British Equestrian and British Dressage, was backdated to 23 July 2024, when she was provisionally suspended.

While BBC Sport understands Dujardin does plan to return to competition, it is not yet known when or where that will be.

From Thursday, she can re-apply for British Dressage membership, which will permit her to enter its affiliated competitions.

She was ineligible to receive public funding and publicly funded benefits through UK Sport while she served the ban, and she also lost sponsorship deals and ambassadorial roles.

A UK Sport spokesperson told BBC Sport it is “in the process of reviewing Charlotte’s future eligibility to receive public funds” – the outcome of which will determine if she can return to British Equestrian’s World Class Performance Programme.

It is understood representatives of Dujardin have spoken with British Equestrian and British Dressage about her return to the sport in recent days.

British Dressage confirmed to BBC Sport it is in contact with Dujardin’s team, while British Equestrian said it could not discuss its correspondence with athletes.

Dujardin is not among the initial eight British entries put to the FEI to compete at August’s Dressage European Championships.

The final squad – of four rider and horse combinations from those initial eight – will be confirmed by British Equestrian later this month.