The science is clear: repeatedly whipping a horse won’t help it learn

Comment and
Life

After the release of a shocking video showing Olympic rider Charlotte Dujardin whipping a horse, it is time for equestrians to educate themselves on the science of horse training, says Christa Lesté-Lasserre

By Christa Lesté-Lasserre

Simone Rotella

Despite generally good welfare for horses at the 2024 Paris Olympics, many animal lovers remain haunted by troubling video footage of Britain’s triple Olympic gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin mistreating a horse during a training session, which emerged just days before the opening ceremony. Dujardin had been set to compete this summer in dressage – the sport in which horses perform elegant steps and dance-like movements, often to music. But there was a public outcry after the video showed her forcefully striking a clearly distressed horse more than 20 times over a minute-long clip.

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Source : New Scientist

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