The video of Charlotte Dujardin whipping a horse 24 times in a minute has done irreparable damage to dressage’s once-mystical public perception.

Dujardin withdrew from the Paris 2024 Olympics – where she could have become Team GB’s most decorated female athlete – and was subsequently banned from her sport, after being filmed repeatedly hitting a horse while teaching a lesson in 2022. i has made the decision not to broadcast the footage.

i has spoken to a number of sources in the industry who argue this is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how horses are treated and trained across all equestrian disciplines.

Many believe similar behaviour – and worse – is so commonplace within elite dressage as to be considered normal.

i has heard of trainers beating animals to the floor with whips, using barbed wire and heavy metal poles to drill showjumping, and repeatedly kicking horses in the stomach and legs.

One also reported a case of blasting loud music at horses for days on end – the “Guantanamo Bay technique” – to acclimatise them to busy events and loud noises.

Alongside this, the use of rollkur, the hyperflexion of horse’s necks used as a dressage training technique, is still widespread within the sport.

By locking the angle of the horse’s head and neck close to its chest to produce a more desirable shape, rollkur causes breathing issues, psychological damage and long-term spinal injuries.

The use of sharp spurs within all equestrian sports is also common, with dressage having to enforce a “blood rule” – if a horse is found to have fresh blood on them during a competition, they are immediately eliminated.

Dujardin was removed from the 2019 European Championships after a “very small amount of blood” was found on her horse’s side.

After that incident she said: “I’m obviously absolutely devastated – nothing like this has ever happened to me before. The health and welfare of my horses is always my number one priority, but of course I accept the decision.”

Vikki Underwood, chef de mission for Great Britain, said at the time: “This is extremely difficult because in Britain we pride ourselves on our animal welfare. Charlotte is one of our most respected and talented athletes, who dearly loves her horses, but she would not hesitate to accept this decision. The horse is fit and well and will contest many more championships.”

The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), equestrian sports’ governing body, said at the time: “Elimination under this rule does not imply there was any intent to injure the horse, but the rules are in place to protect the welfare of all competing horses.”

Yet this array of abusive practices fuels a belief that while equestrian sports require an overhaul in their approaches to welfare and training, the Dujardin video is unsurprising.

In 2022, event rider Sir Mark Todd – veteran of seven Olympic Games – was filmed repeatedly hitting a horse with a tree branch at a training clinic, while German modern pentathlon coach Kim Raisner was thrown out of Tokyo 2020 for punching a horse.

Todd said afterwards: “I wholeheartedly apologise to the horse and all involved. One of the main things I preach is about establishing a mutual respect between horse and rider and that patience and kindness is the best way to get results. I am very disappointed in myself that I did not adhere to that in this case.”

In a Danish documentary released last year, abusive practices were exposed at Helgstrand Dressage, one of the world’s leading dressage training stables.

These included rollkur, spur and whip wounds being hidden with shoe polish, and horses bleeding profusely from the mouth from over-aggressive handling and bits. Owner and Danish national team rider Andreas Helgstrand was suspended by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), governing body of equestrian sports, as a result.

Earlier this year, Colombian-American dressage rider Cesar Parra was banned by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) after a series of videos of him abusing horses was released. The FEI is still investigating the case, which USEF called “appalling and abhorrent”.

In the wake of the Parra case, the International Dressage Riders Club wrote an open letter to the FEI saying: “The whole world has now witnessed issues of welfare and terrible cruelty within our wonderful sport.

“It is correct that cruel practice is exposed, and the influence of social media makes this immediate. By the same token, social media exacerbates negative influence, and it needs to be turned to a positive.

“The reality is that our sport has now been put at serious risk; the behaviour of the minority has been a gift to the critics of our sport. It has offended any decent human being with love and respect for animals as living creatures.

“They come first; not the ego of individuals or money. The perception of the sport has been damaged and we need to make a joined-up concerted effort to remedy it.”

Insiders have suggested the FEI makes examples of cases like Dujardin’s to hide how widespread and accepted this behaviour, and far worse, is to the wider public.

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The leaked video appears to show six-time Olympic medallist Dujardin using extreme methods to teach piaffe, a dressage move where horses appear to trot while stationary, during a lesson gifted by a sponsor.

Piaffe is usually trained by “tapping”, lightly flicking the horse’s hind legs with a lunge whip – the long item used in the video – having trained the motion at a standstill.

But i was told that excessive use of the whip, as appears to be shown in the Dujardin video, is not abnormal when teaching elite dressage horses.

Dujardin, who is based at fellow Olympian Carl Hester’s yard and has trained alongside him for nearly 20 years, called the whip usage “an error of judgement”, going on to say: “What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils, however there is no excuse. I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment.

“I am sincerely sorry for my actions and devastated that I have let everyone down, including Team GB, fans and sponsors.

“I will co-operate fully with the FEI, British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage during their investigations, and will not be commenting further until the process is complete.”

It bears saying that Dujardin and Hester have a comparatively positive reputation within the equestrian world for how they treat their horses. Dujardin has trained a range of successful dressage horses in recent years and is renowned for her connection with her mounts.

And this video, leaked days before the 2024 Olympics begin, has been released at the point of most significant impact for her career and British dressage. Released by a Dutch lawyer, the leak stands to benefit the gold-medal-contending Dutch dressage team after Dujardin’s departure.

Both dressage and Dujardin may never fully recover from the impact, with the latter’s potential damehood reportedly scrapped as a result. The sport which has risen with her may fall alongside her.

At their best, Dujardin and Valegro in London or Rio appeared magical, blessed by a telepathic connection and the temporary ability to fly.

Yet Dujardin and the art of dressage are now tarnished by the sport’s highest-profile scandal in an ever-growing series, the illusion shattered and calls for a blanket ban on equestrian competitions growing. Everyone agrees on one thing – something has to change.