Charlotte Dujardin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Charlotte Dujardin
CBE

Dujardin in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Charlotte Susan Jane Dujardin
Born	(1985-07-13) 13 July 1985 (age 40) Enfield, Greater London, England
Height	1.70 m
Weight	61 kg
Sport
Country	Great Britain
Sport	Equestrian dressage
Team	British Dressage Federation
Turned pro	2011
Coached by	Carl Hester, Ian Cast
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking	1
Medal record Equestrian Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 2012 London Team dressage (with Valegro) Gold 2012 London Individual dressage (with Valegro) Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Individual dressage (with Valegro) Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team dressage (with Valegro) Bronze 2020 Tokyo Team dressage (with Gio) Bronze 2020 Tokyo Individual dressage (with Gio) World Equestrian Games Gold 2014 Normandy Spécial dressage (with Valegro) Gold 2014 Normandy Freestyle dressage (with Valegro) Silver 2014 Normandy Team dressage (with Valegro) Silver 2022 Herning Team dressage Bronze 2018 Tryon Spécial dressage (with Mount St John Freestyle) Bronze 2018 Tryon Team dressage (with Mount St John Freestyle) European Dressage Championships Gold 2011 Rotterdam Team dressage (with Valegro) Gold 2013 Herning Spécial dressage (with Valegro) Gold 2013 Herning Freestyle dressage (with Valegro) Gold 2015 Aachen Spécial dressage (with Valegro) Gold 2015 Aachen Freestyle dressage (with Valegro) Gold 2023 Riesenbeck Team dressage (with Imhotep) Silver 2015 Aachen Team dressage (with Valegro) Silver 2021 Hagen Team dressage (with Gio) Bronze 2013 Herning Team dressage (with Valegro) Bronze 2021 Hagen Individual dressage (with Gio) Bronze 2023 Riesenbeck Special dressage (with Imhotep) Bronze 2023 Riesenbeck Freestyle dressage (with Imhotep) Dressage World Cup Gold 2014 Lyon Individual dressage (with Valegro) Gold 2015 Las Vegas Individual dressage (with Valegro)

Charlotte Susan Jane Dujardin (born July 13, 1985) is a famous British equestrian who specializes in dressage. Dressage is a sport where riders guide horses through a series of complex movements. Charlotte is known for being one of the best dressage riders of her time.

In 2014, she achieved a unique feat by holding all the major individual dressage titles at once. These included Olympic, World, European, and World Cup championships. She was the first rider ever to do this!

Charlotte Dujardin is also one of Britain's most successful female Olympians. She has won six Olympic medals, including three gold medals. This ties her with cyclist Laura Kenny for the most medals won by a British woman at the Olympics.

In July 2024, Charlotte Dujardin decided not to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. This happened after concerns were raised about how she trained one of her horses. She was later suspended from competing for one year by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI).

Charlotte's Early Life and Riding Journey

Charlotte Dujardin grew up in Leighton Buzzard, England. She started riding horses when she was just two years old. She would help her older sisters by bringing their horses back from the show jumping ring.

When she was three, Charlotte came in second place at her very first Pony Club show. To help pay for their horse riding, her mother bought and sold ponies. Charlotte also has dyslexia, which is a learning difference.

She went to Vandyke Upper School, but she spent a lot of time focusing on her riding. She left school when she was 16. As a young rider, Charlotte won the Horse of the Year Show four times. She also won at All England Jumping Course at Hickstead three times.

Charlotte's Amazing Dressage Career

Charlotte Dujardin started focusing on dressage after her trainer, Debbie Thomas, encouraged her. She used money she inherited from her grandmother to buy a horse for dressage.

In 2007, she met Carl Hester, a well-known dressage rider. He saw her talent and offered her a job as a groom at his stable. She has worked there ever since.

Developing a Champion Horse

In 2011, Carl Hester asked Charlotte to train a young horse named Valegro. Valegro was a Dutch Warmblood gelding, which is a male horse that cannot reproduce. The plan was for Carl to ride Valegro, but Charlotte ended up competing with him.

They quickly became a successful team. In 2011, they helped the British team win a gold medal at the European Dressage Championship. Later that year, they set a new world record in the Olympic Grand Prix discipline at London Olympia.

World Cup Wins and Records

Charlotte and Valegro continued their winning streak. In December 2012, they won the World Cup freestyle event at Olympia. They also won the FEI World Cup in Las Vegas in April 2015. This was their fourth world title in a row, a record no other pair had achieved!

In 2019, Charlotte faced a challenge at the European Championships. She was removed from the competition after a small amount of blood was found on her horse, Mount St John Freestyle. This is against the rules in dressage to protect the horses.

Olympic Success and Valegro's Retirement

A gold post box in Enfield, painted to celebrate Charlotte Dujardin's Olympic gold medal.

Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro were chosen to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. They helped the British team win a gold medal in the team dressage event. Two days later, they won another gold medal in the individual dressage event. Their performance, set to music like Land of Hope and Glory, earned them a score of 90.089%.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Charlotte and Valegro won two more gold medals. This made Charlotte the first British woman to win an individual Olympic title twice in a row. They also set a new Olympic dressage score record of 93.857% in the Grand Prix Freestyle.

On December 14, 2016, Valegro retired from competition at the age of 14. He performed one last freestyle test at the Olympia London International Horse Show. Charlotte and Carl Hester decided to retire him while he was at the top of his career. Valegro had won three Olympic gold medals and many world titles. Charlotte said, "I wanted to retire him on a high note, because he owes me absolutely nothing."

Charlotte Dujardin and her horse Gio at the 2021 European Championships.

Concerns About Horse Welfare

In July 2024, a video was shared that showed Charlotte Dujardin training a horse. This led to concerns about horse welfare. British Equestrian and British Dressage sent these concerns to the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) for investigation.

The FEI stated that Charlotte's actions in the video were "contrary to the principles of horse welfare." She was suspended from competing while a full investigation took place. Charlotte said she was "deeply ashamed" and that the incident was "completely out of character."

After her suspension was announced, her funding from UK Sport was stopped. She also lost her role as an ambassador for a horse welfare charity and some of her sponsors ended their agreements with her. In December 2024, the FEI confirmed her one-year suspension and a fine.

Charlotte's Books and TV Appearances

In 2018, Charlotte Dujardin released her autobiography, which is a book about her own life. It is called The Girl on the Dancing Horse: Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro. She also appeared as a guest star on the Netflix show Free Rein.

Charlotte's Personal Life

Charlotte Dujardin is engaged to Dean Golding. After she won a gold medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016, her fiancé wore a shirt that said, "Can we get married now?" On March 6, 2023, Charlotte became a mother when she gave birth to her daughter.

Awards and Recognition

Charlotte Dujardin has received several important awards for her contributions to equestrianism.

• In 2013, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
• In 2017, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

A street with public housing in Enfield is named Dujardin Mews after her.

See also

In Spanish: Charlotte Dujardin para niños

• 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics gold post boxes