British eventer Tom McEwen admitted his “shock” at a video of rider Charlotte Dujardin – but insisted Team GB horses are treated like “kings and queens”.
Dujardin withdrew the Paris games after footage of a training session from four years ago showed her repeatedly whipping a student’s horse.
The 39-year-old, who was banned for six months by the equestrian governing body pending an investigation, said it was an “error of judgement”.
McEwen, 33, who won gold in Tokyo and is competing in this year’s Olympics at JL Dublin, described the video as “deeply sad” for equestrian sport.
“I think it was a shock for all of us, but in the end we are here to portray our sport in a positive light,” he said.
“I believe the event is one of the greatest sports – we are the triathlon of the equestrian world.
“I would be more than happy to let someone come into our yard and see how well cared for these horses are. I think our sport is amazing and these horses are treated like kings and queens.
“I believe that this week all of us here can show that sport is the incredible sport that it is.”
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McEwen said he felt the disciplinary process should now come to fruition, adding: “We support horse welfare 110 per cent.
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“I definitely don’t condone Charlotte’s behavior but she put her hands down, owned it and it’s not for me to say, it’s for the course, the process and the people to decide what punishment she should receive. for her actions.
“She is a human being, so we have to respect her rights too.
“It was a shock, but we came here to do our job as a sporting events team, so we have our focus and with sporting events, you really don’t have a lot of time on your hands.
“We saw the news, we read it, it’s deeply sad for our sport, but at the same time I don’t believe our sport is like this and we move on.”
Dujardin, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, was scheduled to compete in individual and team events in Paris.
Several important sponsors cut ties with her after the video emerged, which sparked a wider debate about the future of equestrian sports at the Olympics.
She said what happened was “completely out of character” and that she was “deeply ashamed” and “sincerely sorry.”
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