Britain's joint-most decorated female Olympian, Charlotte Dujardin, has pulled out of the Paris Games after a video emerged of her whipping a horse repeatedly.
The dressage rider, who has won six Olympic medals, including two golds at London 2012 and a third at Rio 2016, had been set to compete in both the individual and team events in France.
But she has now withdrawn from this summer's games, which start on Friday, saying the footage taken by a whistleblower "from four years ago... shows me making an error of judgement during a coaching session".
The world governing body - the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) - said she had been provisionally suspended for six months, following an official complaint to the organisation.
The whistleblower's lawyer Stephan Wensing told Sky News the client had said they had seen similar abuse several times while working with Dujardin - and felt compelled to film because they were concerned over how the animal was being treated.
Video shows Dujardin whipping horse
The lawyer said his client had previously felt unable to report it due to Dujardin's prestige - but wanted to act now due to the upcoming Olympics.
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He added the client had been warned by other people in the dressage community not to say anything because of Dujardin's status.
The incident being investigated happened more than two years ago at a lesson at a private barn in the UK, the lawyer said.
He also added the client had been present as a sponsor and, although they were not taking part in the lesson, they were a former student of the rider.
Mr Wensing told The Telegraph that while giving a lesson to a student, Dujardin "took the long whip and she was beating the horse more than 24 times in one minute and really hard, really harsh, really tough".
He added it was like "an elephant in the circus".
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Dujardin controversy explained
British Equestrian (BEF) and British Dressage (BD) referred to "allegations of animal welfare misconduct" which the FEI "will now fully investigate".
Both the BEF and BD have also imposed a provisional suspension on Dujardin from all national and international competitions pending the outcome of the FEI investigation.
Referring to the video, the Team GB athlete, 39, said what happened was "completely out of character" and "does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils".
But she said "there is no excuse" and she was "deeply ashamed" and "sincerely sorry".
Dujardin said she will "withdraw from all competition - including the Paris Olympics - while this process takes place".
In her Instagram statement, she wrote: "A video has emerged from four years ago which shows me making an error of judgement during a coaching session."
She continued: "What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils, however there is no excuse. I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment."
Dujardin, who also won two golds at the World Equestrian Games in 2014 in Normandy, said she was "devastated that I have let everyone down, including Team GB, fans and sponsors".
Sudden fall from grace for great British hope
Rob Harris
Sports correspondent
The chance to become Britain's most decorated female Olympian is over for now - under a cloud and in shame for Charlotte Dujardin.
While the dressage great has owned up to her "error of judgement", it came four years after the apparent incident.
A question is why now - in the week of the Paris Olympics beginning - did a whistleblower decide to send the video via a lawyer to equestrian's world governing body on Monday?
Dujardin was then given just a day to respond - and she confirmed her "conduct was inappropriate" while requesting the suspension.
It is a sudden fall from grace for a great British hope - with two medals from each of the last three Olympics.
And any mistreatment of horses - in this case during a training session - will cause wider welfare concerns.
That is why British Equestrian chief executive Jim Eyre is treating them so seriously and warned the consequences are "far reaching but upholding the integrity of our sport remains our priority".
His clear message: "We must never compromise on their wellbeing."
The investigation will reveal how and why Dujardin might have misused the whip so many times.
Rider will 'co-operate fully' with investigations
"I will co-operate fully with the FEI, British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage during their investigations, and will not be commenting further until the process is complete," she went on.
British Equestrian chief executive Jim Eyre said: "As the guardians of equestrian sport, we must uphold the highest standards of equine welfare - the horse's wellbeing is paramount.
"The allegations made are serious and the consequences far reaching."
At the London 2012 Olympics, Dujardin won golds in the individual and team dressage, while in Rio in 2016, she took gold in the individual competition and silver in the team event.
Three years ago, at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Games, she claimed bronzes in both the team and individual competitions.
Dujardin's six medals make her Britain's joint-most decorated female Olympian of all time, tied with retired cyclist Dame Laura Kenny.
The investigation into Dujardin comes more than two years after another Olympic champion, Sir Mark Todd, was suspended by the horseracing authorities after a video showed the trainer striking a horse with a branch.
Todd won two Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1988 for New Zealand and earned a knighthood in 2013 for his equestrian achievements.
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Dujardin started riding aged two
According to the Olympics website, Dujardin was born on 13 July 1985 in Enfield, north London, but brought up in Hertfordshire, and took up riding aged two.
She was 13 when he first tried her hand at dressage, a discipline in which rider and horse must complete a series of complex moves, such as the tempi, zig-zag, piaffe and pirouettes.
Hailing from a modest background, but competing in an expensive sport, she bought her first Grand Prix horse, Fernandez, in 2007, thanks to money left to her by her late grandmother.
It was at that stage that she took up dressage competitively, having earlier aspired to be a jockey.
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Equestrian events at the Paris Games "will showcase the partnership between horse and rider across three distinct disciplines: jumping, dressage and eventing", says the Olympics website.
The events will take place from 27 July from 6 August, with individual and team medals awarded for each discipline.
Jumping features timed obstacle courses, while dressage involves horse and rider performing artistic movements to music. Eventing, comparable to an equestrian 'triathlon,' combines dressage, jumping and cross-country.
