By Tassilo Hummel
VERSAILLES, France (Reuters) - The world's finest riders delivered classicist chic and epic medal battles at the Paris Games, while repeating their "put the horses first" mantra as equestrian grappled with fallout from a scandal that revived fears about the sport's Olympic future.
Riding fans were shocked when six-times Olympic medallist Charlotte Dujardin was barred from the competition a few days before the Games over a video that showed her hitting a horse, renewing a debate over the sport's ethics.
Governing body the FEI pledged it would be uncompromising in enforcing animal welfare during the eventing, showjumping and dressage competitions in the Palace of Versailles grounds.
FEI officials sanctioned a Brazilian rider for a controversial neck hyperflexion and disqualified some horses who had minor bleeding during events.
It also said it found evidence of horses with blue tongues caused by oxygen shortage during dressage competition, but did not take any disciplinary steps on the matter.
While all of the riders and officials Reuters interviewed during the competition were united in their condemnation of the violence seen in the Dujardin video, some expressed the respect they had for the British rider as an outstanding athlete.
Britain's dressage veteran Carl Hester, who discovered Dujardin's talent and worked with her for over a decade, said "this is not her that I know of.
"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," said Hester.
Isabell Werth, who became Germany's most decorated Olympian, called for a culture change on every level of the sport to always call out abuse and protect the horses while expressing doubts about attacking Dujardin years after the facts.
Animal activists have renewed their calls to ban riding from the Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) reviews the list of featured sports after each Games.
"We have to be careful, things can happen very fast", one senior European equestrian official said.
During the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, spectators were shocked by scenes of abuse in a modern pentathlon competition, which eventually led to riding being removed from the sport's disciplines after Paris.
STUNNING SCENES
Determined to show the best face of their sport, the riders produced some of the Games' most stunning images in the gardens of the world famous palace, particularly during a cross-country ride through Louis XIV's former hunting grounds.
"This is the most incredible arena, the most incredible dancefloor in this world," dressage Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl said of the venue.
The competitions attracted some high-profile visitors like rapper Snoop Dogg, U.S. TV personality Martha Stewart and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Germany cemented their dominance in the sport, repeating the country's Tokyo 2021 success of winning the team competition plus individual gold and silver in dressage, adding to individual titles for their riders in eventing and showjumping.
Showjumpers put on a thrilling display with a jump-off won by Christian Kukuk, while the British - under particular scrutiny after the Dujardin scandal dominated the headlines back home - won the team golds in showjumping and eventing.
"These horses are looked after unbelievably well. They're our family, you know," Britain's Scott Brash said, adding: "We want equestrianism to stay in the Olympic Games."
(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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