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Okay, it isn’t horse racing but the public perception of equestrian sport most definitely doesn’t need this sort of headline.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/equestrian/articles/cd16ll5z086o
After all, if the horse is seen bleeding in dressage schooling, what will the public think happens in the far less genteel sport of horse racing?
I fear this will set off the animal rights lobby again.
I don’t disagree but as I understand it, the video in question was filmed four years ago. If whoever has made the complaint is really concerned about horse welfare, why did they not report it at the time instead of waiting until a few days before Ms Dujardin just happens to be about to compete in the Olympic Games?
Theres a discussion on BBC Five Live at present, great publicity!
Obviously a no news day.Alice Plunkett not covering herself in glory on Good Morning Britain- this does not look like a “mistake” or losing the rag a wee bit, once, for a few seconds.
As for the timing- certainly deliberate but that’s all to the good IMO.
Alice Plunkett making out this is about a human being was an error of judgement, it was about the horse Alice.
A one off lack of judgement who knows but I suspect this is not the case.The more I know the less I understand.
Potentially a one off mistake but my reaction to seeing Dujardin do that cannot be repeated on here
As far as the animal rights/activists are concerned?? I would imagine it will all be forgotten about not before too long by the general pubic just like the Gordon Elliott sitting on a dead horse photo was..
Charles Darwin to conquer the World
At The Telegraph site they have published the video of her transgression – 24 times she strikes the horse.
It is not a pleasant watch and I wonder if the RSPCA will get involved now.
Her career is over now.
As usual, I headed over to Mumsnet Chat to see what the average Joe (Joanne?) thinks. Here’s a sample
“There was a woman on Good Morning Britain who is a horse racing presenter who was almost excusing the actions of Dujardin but then horse racing is barbaric too.”
The general public may half forget this but it all goes into the public word- association memory bank. They might not remember Gordon Elliott’s name but if you say “horse trainer” or “horse industry” to people in the street these are the images that will be in their heads. That guy sitting on the dead horse. That woman who won all the medals for Team GB like at the London Olympics when they had the Big Ben chimes in the music, but then it turned out she was whipping them to make them dance like that.
Don’t know why anyone would think it was/might be a one off, far more likely to be common practice in my view. Maybe the only one captured on video would be more accurate.
A more complete video. As the BTL comments from even non horsey people show- she is very, very handy with that whip and is chatting casually to the rider, the observers do not seem surprised at all.
I’ve always been uncomfortable with dressage and often wondered at the methods used to get horses to perform as they do.
The more I know the less I understand.
Couldn’t agree more – just another day at the office!
The timing is of the essence but it’s well we are aware. She looks comfortable administering the whip.Just a tin goddess who would have prospered in the heyday of Billy Smart.
The old ‘moment of madness’ defence. Are we really supposed to believe that this disgusting act was a one-off that just happened to occur when someone was pointing a camera at her?
Obviously the timing is for maximum impact but if the incident took place four years ago, why not release the video before the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021?
I wonder if the Royal Mail will be sending someone out to the gold postbox in her honour with a tin of red paint.
I always wondered how the dressage horses ‘skipped’ like they do; well, thanks to the video now i know.
Pretty obs it’s a tried & trusted method imho.
Dear, oh dear. The horsey community will be attempting to defend itself….yet again. Plunkett made herself look far removed from Joe & Joanne Public. Yet another failed bit of ‘horsey types’ PR, this morning.
If you were seen striking the horse once and once only then maybe you could argue a moment of madness but striking that many times and the seemingly lack of reaction from the bystanders would strongly suggest that this is the furthest thing from an isolated incident.
I do find it strange that it has taken this long for the incident to be brought to light, could it be a disgruntled and (recently) former employee that has decided to get back at her
Will we also see the same level of protesting at dressage events as we do with racing…….I am highly doubtful because that particular part of equestrianism isn’t horse racing and won’t generate the same level of attention.
Whatever the case, it is not optically great in any way for horse racing which no doubt will be found guilty by association i.e. look what they do to their horses, so it must stand that all horses are treated in the same way.
I can’t pretend to know what I’m looking at with it as I don’t know the norms of training for dressage but as I understand it shes admitted shes in the wrong and stood down from the Olympics.
Obviously not good but what is also not good is the motive behind the leak. Certainly not for animal welfare reasons leaving it this long to report it. To my mind if this is wrong and again I don’t know what is and isn’t normal here (obviously doesnt look good on video) why is the person holding the video sitting on it until lets be blunt here a moment that would cause most damage to the offender but no great benefit to horse welfare in the time since? This could have been happening multiple times after for all we know.
I believe it was a similar story with the Gordon Elliott leak which was a personal grudge before Cheltenham. These aren’t true whistleblowers to my mind. Its all about personal gain.
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