After the scandalous video

“She has many enemies”: New fuss about equestrian icon

Charlotte Dujardin's scandalous video continues to make waves.(Bild: AFP/AFP PHOTO/DPA/Rolf Vennenbernd )

The scandal surrounding three-time Olympic dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin has added another chapter after an eyewitness to the incident spoke out. The Australian assures that she is not responsible for the clip and emphasizes: "Charlotte has a lot of enemies".

The Australian has been accused from several sides of being the mastermind behind the scandalous video sent out by Dujardin. The riding instructor told The Sun: "I'm not the whistleblower. I did not film the footage". However, her lawyer confirmed that she was there as an eyewitness. 

According to this, the woman acted as an intermediary to put clients in touch with Dujardin. This was also the case on that day, presumably four years ago in the Netherlands, where the video recordings were ultimately made. "Charlotte has a lot of enemies. It could have been anyone, but I got the anger," says the Australian-born woman, who now lives in England.

"Fear of the witch hunt"
She has since broken off her business relationship with the highly decorated Olympian following the incidents. It is still not clear who handed over the video to the Dutch equestrian lawyer Stephan Wensing, who eventually made it public. "I have to protect the name. My client is very afraid of the witch hunt," explains the lawyer. 

However, his client feels sorry for Dujardin. The three-time Olympic dressage champion canceled her participation in the Summer Games in Paris after the video was published and expressed her remorse. "I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example at that moment," explained the equestrian icon. If she had competed in Paris and won another medal, as expected, she would have become Great Britain's most successful Olympian. 

Timing not deliberate
However, the publication so shortly before the Olympic Games was not a deliberate choice, according to Wensing. "My client only felt able to speak out when two other Olympic riders had been suspended that year." Before that, the intimidation had been too great.

People from the dressage scene had warned the person about the consequences of taking action against an equestrian icon. "After the suspensions of the other riders, my client felt she could finally fight for animal welfare." That's why she finally sent the video to the lawyer. The clip shows Dujardin hitting a horse with a whip while another rider sits in the saddle. She has since been banned for six months while an investigation is carried out.