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Update (July 27, 2024): Rider Carlos Parro was slapped with a yellow card warning by the FĂ©dĂ©ration Ăquestre Internationale (FEI) after the ruling body received PETAâs complaint yesterday. Parro should have been eliminated, but weâre glad the FEI took actionâitâs looking over its shoulder nowâand all the riders will now be under increased scrutiny.
Hereâs the FEIâs e-mail to PETA:
âThe FEI can confirm receipt of the letter and accompanying photographs from PETA highlighting concerns about the conduct of Brazilian athlete Carlos Parro.
âThe FEI Officials have issued a yellow warning card as the action of the athlete could have caused unnecessary discomfort to the horse. Additionally, the Ground Jury has directly addressed the situation with the athlete and the chef dâEquipe of Brazil.
âThe FEI Stewards are aware of this incident and will be vigilant at all times for any behaviour that is not in line with horse welfare and are prepared to take immediate action if such behaviour occurs.â
âFĂ©dĂ©ration Ăquestre Internationale
Update (July 26, 2024): Another day, another instance of horse abuse by an Olympic rider. PETA has obtained photos of what appears to be a Brazilian Olympic equestrian team member forcing a horseâs neck into an extremely painful hyperflexed position so exaggerated that the neck appears deformed. The banned training method, known as ârollkur,â compromises breathing and can damage the spine and lead to long-term health issues. PETA has sent an urgent complaint to the International Equestrian Federation demanding that the rider be eliminated from competition and that the abused horse undergo a thorough veterinary examination.
This latest horrific incident adds to the growing pile of evidence that equestrian âsportsâ have no place in the Olympics. Take action below by urging the International Olympic Committee to ban them.
Original text:
Yet again, an Olympic rider has been caught abusing a horse to force the animal to behave in an entirely unnatural way, simply for her own glory. A horrific video has surfaced showing British Olympic equestrian team member Charlotte Dujardin repeatedly whipping a horseâs legs âin the manner of âold-style abuse of elephants at the circusââ during a training session. Dujardin, who flippantly referred to the abuse she inflicted on the horse as âan error of judgment,â was kicked out of the Paris Olympic Games.
It seems as though this âsportâ is chock-full of humans who commit âerrors of judgement.â
Take a look at these incidentsâand PETAâs viral video, viewed nearly 1 million timesâfrom the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics:
A German pentathlon competitor was riding a frightened horse named Saint Boy when she was filmed whipping him during the competition after he refused to enter the course. As the riderâs frustration increased, her coach, Kim Raisner, was shown hitting the clearly startled Saint Boy. After the incident, Raisner was rightfully expelled from the Olympics.
Jet Set appeared to be injured in the middle of a cross-country course during the 2020 Olympic Games. Veterinarians diagnosed the injury as an irreparable ligament rupture in one of his legs, and he was euthanized.
During another show-jumping event at the same Olympic Games, blood poured from Kilkennyâs nose but Irish rider Cian OâConnor forced the horse to finish the course. Nothing was done by officials to stop the competition to check on him.
Abuse seems to be pervasive at lower levels of the sport, too. In 2021, show jumper Kevin Lemke aggressively and repeatedly hit a horse named Good Luck at an event in California. We reported the incident, and Lemke was suspended.
After hearing from PETA and following a complaint from PETA Germany, the international governing body of the modern pentathlon announced that horseback riding will be replaced with obstacle course racing. Thatâs a start.
But hereâs the bottom line: Horses donât volunteer to competeâtheyâre compelled to submit to violence and coercion.
Please sign our petition urging the International Olympic Committee to remove all equestrian events immediately and leave the Olympics to the willing participants.