One hopes this is true.
But it’s also true that people dope horses. Allison Springer’s thought piece doesn’t indicate much knowledge of the history of doping in horse sports. She seems to believe that the German machine is too well-run to dope - and ignores the numerous doping positives German team riders have had at major championships.
This past week, the FEI announced two new adverse analytic findings, in in endurance for ractopamine, the other in showjumping for Tramadol. Ractopamine, basically a bodybuilding agent, has been in doping cases in dressage as well. The riders can’t very well claim that the horses’ ractopamine positives came from eating contaminated pork.
Note to Allison Springer: in the world of elite sport, it’s a well-funded national team program that has the resources, expertise, skill and incentive to use pharmaceuticals to their advantage. That team will also have the clout to sweep adverse findings under the rug through their tight connections with their NSF or with their ISF. This is simply how it works in sport. WADA is a joke, it’s just a PR sideshow for the IOC and FIFA and other orgs.
