Charlotte Dujardin mentor Carl Hester says graphic video was 'huge shock' to him

Even before the opening ceremony last Friday, the 2024 Paris Olympics had one of its first controversies when a four-year-old video emerged of renowned British dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin whipping a horse 24 times in a minute during a training session.

With one of equestrian’s biggest stars mired in controversy, those closest to Dujardin in the sport are still coming to terms with what they saw on screen.

“That video is fairly obvious and nobody’s going to support that, you can’t,” said Carl Hester, Dujardin’s longtime mentor and former teammate, according to The Guardian . “But my personal opinion of Charlotte over 17 years — I have not seen that.”

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Dujardin has worked with Hester since 2007, when she started as a groom at his stables in England.

Heading into the 2024 Paris Olympics, Dujardin was one of the most decorated figures in equestrian, with six medals across three Olympics, including three gold medals. After the video came out, she removed herself from the Games and was suspended for six months by the International Federation of Equestrian Sports (FEI) following an investigation into the matter.

After riding in the qualifying rounds this week, Hester told reporters that the video of Dujardin was a “huge shock” to him.

“I’ve known her for 17 years,” Hester said. “She’s a mum, she has a small child. She’s paid very heavily for this in a way that you just wouldn’t believe. She will have to accept what the FEI gives her, and she will, but I just hope she’s strong enough to be able to come back from that.”

Hester added that the age of the video should be taken into consideration.

“This is four years ago,” he said. “People do make mistakes and what do we do? We never forgive people for the things that happen in life? Right now, it’s going to be a long road for her and a lesson, for everybody really, in the horse world. We’ve got to put the horses first and show that.”

The 57-year-old Hester, who first rode for Great Britain at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, qualified for Sunday’s dressage freestyle final.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charlotte Dujardin mentor Carl Hester says graphic video was 'huge shock' to him