Kaley Cuoco offers to buy horse that was hit by coach at Olympics: ‘Name your price’
German coach Kim Raisner was disqualified after she was seen hitting horse Saint Boy
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Kaley Cuoco has offered to buy the horse that was hit by Germany’s modern pentathlon coach during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Coach Kim Raisner was disqualified from the Olympics after she was captured hitting horse Saint Boy with her fist while trying to assist German rider Annika Schleu, who was struggling to get the horse to trot and jump during the women’s show jumping event on 6 August.
In addition to widespread criticism of Raisner’s behaviour, Schleu also faced backlash from Olympic viewers for her use of a whip as she tried to begin her round during the Games.
On Friday, the Big Bang Theory actor addressed the incident on her Instagram Stories, where she described it as a “disgrace” and revealed that she would “buy that horse outright” to “show it the life it should have”.
“I feel it’s my duty and heart to comment on this disgrace… 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,” Cuoco wrote alongside a photo of Schleu, who could be seen crying while struggling to get Saint Boy to jump.
The actor, who is also an avid equestrian and is married to horse trainer Karl Cook, then continued: “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.”
In another post, Cuoco said the behaviour displayed at the Olympics by Raisner, who was also reportedly heard telling Schleu to hit the horse harder, and the athlete, was “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,” Cuoco continued. “Name your price.”
In follow-up posts, The Flight Attendant star confirmed that she was serious about her offer to buy Saint Boy, with the 35-year-old sharing a screenshot of a news report about her claim and adding: “Oh I wasn’t kidding.”
Following the incident at the Tokyo Games, modern pentathlon’s world governing body, UIPM, announced it would be launching a review into the women’s show jumping event.
In a statement, the UIPM also said it would be reinforcing the “importance of horse welfare and athlete safety across the entire global competition structure” and that it “regrets the trauma suffered by Saint Boy in this high-profile incident”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments