A first team gold. A cowboy at fashion week. A star rapper in a riding habit. A cruel whip.
The year in the world of horse sport was one of gilded highs — the equestrian heats at the Olympic Games were held at Versailles, after all, and the supermodel Bella Hadid brought her cowboy boyfriend and his quarter horses to a New York City street — and hideous lows: days before the opening ceremony of the Olympics, one of the sport’s British stars was banned from the Games after old video of her whipping a horse went viral.