Scandals involving top equestrians have ignited fierce debates about animal welfare at the Olympics. As comparisons to horse racing’s more controversial practices emerge, TTR AusNZ‘s Vicky Leonard discusses how all equestrian sports face mounting pressure to address these issues head-on, requiring strong leadership to ensure robust practices that can uphold public acceptance.
It’s the grand stage of the Olympics, where the thunderous applause for our elite equine athletes should be deafening, but instead, it’s muffled by controversy.
The recent removal of revered British dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin from the Olympics after a leaked video of aggressive whip use during a coaching session years ago has sparked fierce debate. As if that wasn’t enough drama, the FEI’s retroactive yellow card to Brazilian eventer Carlos Parro for training misconduct—prompted only by PETA’s intervention—adds more fuel to the fire. And let’s not even start on the social media comments.
Here’s the scary part: a portion of the equestrian community still thinks the villain is the person who leaked the Dujardin video.
It’s no secret, animal sports are teetering on the edge of a precipice. Instead of the Olympics showcasing the glory of equine athletes, the FEI is grappling with public backlash.
The real issue isn’t the exposure of these problems but the neglect of welfare considerations in the first place. To state the obvious, if the incident never happened, there’d be no video to leak.
And these incidents are blaring alarms for all equestrian sports.
Blaming extremists and whistle-blowers (no matter their questionable motive) for the added scrutiny is like exclusively blaming the iceberg for Titanic passengers dying. Sure, the iceberg was the direct hit, but if the captain did his job properly, the iceberg would have been avoided. If the ship had been built with balanced consideration of the risks posed, it would never have sunk after hitting the iceberg. Even having enough lifeboats on board would have helped save passengers.
A strong sport that can withstand challenges has strong leadership looking out for vulnerabilities. It’s built with solid welfare rules and regulations, rigorously enforced to withstand the scrutiny of the everyday Australian who simply wants to be comfortable knowing the sport has the best interest of the horse in mind. And just as lifeboats could have saved lives on the Titanic, transparency and accurate data can safeguard our sport. It allows us to educate the public and proudly defend our practices from a position of strength when misinformation arises.
But ignoring genuine problems won’t make them disappear; they’ll pop up when we’re most vulnerable, often with more significant consequences.
We probably have a few icebergs—practices that simply can’t withstand the scrutiny of the everyday Australian.
Take the whip, for instance, as the tip of the iceberg where meaningful conversation needs to start. Imagine hitting a dog in a park with a padded whip (or even a pool noodle)—the outrage from any witness would be immediate and justified. Yet, we defend whip use in horse racing. Yes, the whip is padded. Yes, jockey use is tightly regulated. And while there’s no conclusive scientific evidence that the whip is a welfare issue, try explaining that to 27 million Australians who would banish you to Siberia if they saw you hit your dog with one.
There’s no doubt the whip should be carried for safety reasons, but justifying its persistent use to the public presents more than a mere education gap—it’s a deep values chasm; a fundamental disconnect between our sport’s practices and the expectations of everyday Australians. Addressing this issue isn’t about conceding one point that triggers a slippery slope to our final demise, but about aligning our values with the public’s ethical standards so we can survive and thrive.
Another key vulnerability is the lack of transparency around welfare and aftercare investment. Trying to address any public perception challenge without accurate information is like trying to save passengers with not enough lifeboats. We are working our hardest to counter misinformation with Kick Up, yet in New South Wales we don’t even have clarity on very basic information such as Equine Welfare Fund spending, or how many horses are rehomed each year.
As the Olympics incidents show, and ongoing public scrutiny around horse racing continues to grow, the common person won’t accept anything less than an unwavering commitment to equine welfare – before, during and after their sporting careers.
But without our captains acknowledging the icebergs and reorienting the ship, equestrian sports are only going to become increasingly vulnerable.
It’s time to demand our leaders navigate these treacherous waters head-on and ensure a future where our equine sports are celebrated.
