Big Bang Theory star and horse lover Kaley Cuoco has offered to buy the horse that was wrongfully punched at the Olympics by a coach, in a series of Instagram stories.
Last week, a video went viral of a horse (Saint Boy) refusing to jump during the equestrian component of the five-part modern pentathlon while his rider (Annika Schleu) cried.
After Saint Boy went rogue, footage emerged of Schleu’s coach Kim Raisner punching the horse, which caused her to be thrown out of the Olympics.
Now, Kaley Cuoco (an equestrian who is also married to an equestrian and horse trainer) has called out the behaviour shown at the Tokyo games and even offered to buy the horse “outright”.
“I feel it’s my duty and heart to comment on this disgrace,” Cuoco wrote on her Instagram stories.
“This is not Olympic show jumping. This is a disgusting, classless, abusive representation of our sport in so many ways. This team should be ashamed of themselves.
“You and your team did not do your country proud or this sport. You make us look bad. Shame on you and godspeed to any animal that comes in contact with you.
“Pure classless behaviour right here. Disgusting on all levels. This is not our sport. This does not represent our sport.
“This rider and her ‘trainer’ are a disgrace. I’ll buy that horse outright and show it the life it should have. Name your price.”
In a statement released on Sunday, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) said it would make adjustments to improve horse welfare in future pentathlons.
“UIPM regrets the trauma suffered by Saint Boy in this high-profile incident and has penalised the coach who violated the UIPM Competition Rules by striking the horse from outside the ring,” the statement read.
“Not only will UIPM conduct a full review of the riding discipline of the women’s modern pentathlon at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, it will also reinforce the importance of horse welfare and athlete safety across the entire global competition structure.”
