The timing could not have been worse. The sport of dressage appeared in the 2024 Olympics amid threats to its existence after 3x Olympic dressage medalist Charlotte Dujardin’s mistreatment of the horses came to the fore which led to her ban. While the dust of that has yet to settle, a fresh incident will only make those voices stronger who are campaigning for the ban of the sport altogether.

Equestrian events are underway at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with over 200 riders from 49 countries set to compete at the Palace of Versailles. As the Dressage on Day 1 got underway, an unfortunate incident saw a horse begin bleeding in the middle of his performance. Based on the reaction from fans and animal lovers who are up in arms, the Paris Olympics are now in hot water with a shadow over the presence of the discipline at the sporting extravaganza. It also sparked a fierce debate about the care and safety of these four-legged athletes.

For the unversed, in dressage, a specifically bred horse performs a series of tests and movements with increasing difficulty during a competition. In the freestyle portion, the horse performs choreographed movements with an assortment of songs. Every element is marked from 0 to 10 by a panel of experts analyzing technique, balance, and artistry.

As the incident was uncovered, Hessischer Rundfunk reporter Sonja Süß highlighted concerns in a tweet, pointing out the treatment of horses in the Olympics. In the accompanying clips, the dressage horse could be seen biting his mouth during the dressage test. Though it is not immediately clear that there is blood in the horse’s mouth, the insides seem too red to be just the pink gums and tongue inside.

The equestrian in the video was Emiliano Portale of Italy with his 16-year-old bay gelding horse, SCUDERIA 1918 FUTURE. Though he initially earned 30.50, he has now been eliminated. Per the FEI statement, “The horse, Future, ridden by athlete no. 13 Emiliano Portale (ITA), was eliminated during the eventing dressage test after blood was found in the horse’s mouth during the post-competition check on 27 July.” 

Future has been a relatively new companion to Emilio, and in his words, “In a year and a half we have managed to participate in an Italian Championship, European Championship, three Nations Cups and now the Olympics.”

Portale, who has over 20 years of competitive experience in dressage events, spoke to the press before his elimination and mentioned how Future had accidentally bitten his tongue or lip during the test. Veterinarians have checked him to ensure there is no serious injury. The Horse and Hound magazine has requested to receive confirmation of which rule they were eliminated under. If it has nothing to do with animal abuse, the Italian team can put in a substitute for the showjumping and cross-country phases.

However, they will carry 100 penalties for Emiliano’s non-completion, with an added 20 for substituting. In the event that there are no substitutes, the team will continue with two members instead of three. It’s not a good look for the Italians and points to gross negligence, especially since recent accounts have emerged of pro-equestrians mistreating their horses.

It all started when beloved British dressage star Charlotte Dujardin was seen in a video just days before the Olympics, whipping her horse 24 times in a private stable. This led to her withdrawing from the Paris Olympics just before being banned for 6 months by the International Federation of Equestrian Sports.

Dujardin herself said that the video was from four years ago; she acted completely “out of character” and was “deeply ashamed.” Even her teammate, Carl Hester, has condemned her actions. However, this has raised concerns over horses being used at the Olympics. The flames were only fanned when an Austrian pro-equestrian who is ranked 3rd worldwide, Max Kuhner, was accused of hitting his horse on the leg to make it jump higher in an action known as “rapping.”

Rapping has been made illegal in Germany for over a year now, and he is awaiting a decision from a Munich Court on charges of animal abuse. The Austrian Equestrian Federation has lent its support to Kuhner, which has earned him the ire of fans around the world. With the sport already in the eye of the storm, the incident once again prompted the fans to go berserk.

Horse lovers slam the ‘stupidity’ of dressage

One fan simply wrote to stop the use of horses in the Olympics once and for all, stating, “This sport should be banned.” It’s a sentiment mirrored by PETA as well. The animal rights organization just demanded the disqualification of the Brazilian rider Carlos Parro after it received a clip from a witness that shows Parro applying the banned “rollkur” technique on his horse Safira in the dressage event. The technique is “hyperflexion of a horse’s neck through aggressive force” that can compromise the breathing of the horse, according to PETA.

Another fan pointed out how, despite the horse bleeding, the athlete was awarded points and allowed to exit without facing any consequences on the spot. It was only later that the authorities were notified, and Portale was eliminated. “This looked like blood out of the horses mouth today, #Olympia ride from #Italy . The rider got 30.5 points anyway. Horses are athletes, this should not happen and it is not part of good #dressage.” the fan wrote, fuming over the unfairness of the incident.

Another fan also wrote about how dressage in itself is an outdated sport and can be scrapped altogether. “This is such a stupid sport! Why is it still in the Olympics :/” Almost the same sentiment was voiced by British animal rights activist Peter Egan as he spoke to TalkTV after Dujardin was dismissed.

“They’re [the horses] forced into unnatural positions where their heads in peculiar positions, their nostrils are forced to do things. They have shock colors that are used to intimidate them. And when they want to get that funny flopping thing with their front legs, they have weight’s attached to that and they’re kind of whipped in order to get that happening,” Kegan pointed out.

The next fan replied to a tweet from FEI Global and demanded that they highlight the darker aspects of equestrian sports and address them. Are you going to be making any comment on the Italian rider whose horse was obviously bleeding from the mouth when exiting the area just now?” the user wrote. According to many horse lovers, training horses to do antics that they do not do by themselves, naturally leads to the application of force and brutality.

According to USA Today, getting a horse competition-ready usually takes almost seven years of careful training and muscular development. Then an additional three or four years to reach their peak. But in recent times, dressage has shifted from an amateur sport to a fiercely competitive one with handsome prize money. That might lead many to take shortcuts to get their horses ready quickly. This is something Olympic medalist Danish equestrian Andreas Helgstrand had revealed to an undercover reporter, Rebekka Klubien, last year.

“A horse must be reprimanded a little. You must tell it, you must go there. If you ride around on a long rein and are nice, it doesn’t understand.” Helgstrand had said that was recorded in Klubien’s hidden camera. After the leak, he was removed from the Danish national dressage team. This year in February, videos of a former American Olympian, Cesar Parra, had also showed him engaging in “rollkur.”

Looking at these instances of pro-equestrians chastising their equine companion, that are winning them all the accolades, they shamed the International Federation of Equestrian Sports, writing, “Infuriated over no coverage done for this, needs to be seen by all @FEI_Global.” Whether equestrian sports are banned or not, the Paris Olympics have once again brought forth its hidden side, and hopefully, there will be stricter regulations in both training and competing to protect the horses.