Charlotte Dujardin: Whipping video released to ‘save dressage’ – whistleblower

On Tuesday Dujardin said the video was “filmed four years ago”, but Wensing said it was from two and a half years ago.

“When she filmed this and was aware of this two and a half years ago, she was thinking everything this superstar, the best rider, is doing, must be OK. This must be the way to train horses and how to deal with it,” he said.

“Charlotte Dujardin was explaining during the lesson that she wanted the horse lifting the legs up more in canter.

“Later on, [the whistleblower] was thinking ‘this is not OK’. She had spoken with several people in the profession and they all warned her ‘don’t fight’.

“She was really afraid. There was a sort of fear culture and she was also thinking ‘when I do something, it will be victim-blaming’.”

Wensing said it was the recent removal of a rider from the Denmark dressage team that encouraged his client to report Dujardin.

Earlier this month Danish TV station TV2 reported, external that Denmark’s reserve rider Carina Cassoe Kruth had been replaced in the Paris squad on the eve of the team announcement after a controversial training video was sent to the Danish Riding Association.

Kruth told TV2 she “deeply regretted” her “clear error”.

“Because of the Olympics, [the whistleblower] was thinking if I don’t do anything now [Dujardin] will probably win medals,” Wensing said.

“On the other hand, people are thinking wrong that she could have done this during the Olympics, and that would destroy the whole British team.

“Now the team can organise themselves and use the alternate. It’s not like the whole British dressage team has gone now. There could be a worse timing.”