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Buck has been to the Pan Am Games (and WEG, but we know the former is more likely to have WADA hanging around) - he knows the rules around drug testing. It sounds like heās been going through a tough time, but itās not an excuse.
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Excuse for what? We have no details yet. Letās let the facts come out before we pass judgement. Jmo
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Iām sure the above poster means; no excuse for Davidson competing with a prohibited substance in his system.
Which he has done. The FEI doesnāt suspend people unless they are sure of the laboratory test findings.
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The rider and/or the FEI can insist that the B sample be tested (by a completely different laboratory than the A sample) or waive that right.
Alternatively, the rider can admit the infraction and have the FEI go easier on them. Just a little easier.
The rider also has the right to a hearing before, or shortly after, they are they are suspended.
From the FEI rulebook;
āNotwithstanding Articles 7.4.1 and 7.4.2, a Provisional Suspension may not
be imposed unless the Athlete or other Person is given: (a) an opportunity
for a Provisional Hearing, either before or on a timely basis after imposition
of the Provisional Suspension; or (b) an opportunity for an expedited hearing
in accordance with Article 8 on a timely basis after imposition of the
Provisional Suspension.ā
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Yes but sometimes tests come back because of weird circumstances like drinking the wrong drink or a groom peeing in the stallā¦.not saying he shouldnāt be suspended if he tested positive but I would like to know full details before I say heās to blame.
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I get it, but every FEI competitor knows (or is expected to know) that they are the person responsible for what prohibited substances they have in their bloodstream. International competitors are required to know if what they eat or drink contains prohibited substances.
The positive test was at the Kentucky 3Day, not in Timbuktu where exotic food might be available.
I seriously doubt that Mr.Davidson has tested positive for a prohibited substance in his urine or blood because of a groom peeing in a stall. 
I do hope that this was an innocent error, it seems unlikely, but weāll have to wait and see.
I donāt know Mr.Davidson but he seems like a nice guy. I hope that if he has gone against the rules that he admits it. If he hasnāt, there will be a very credible and succinct explanation required.
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FWIW, I feel like fans try and make more excuses for riders than they do for athletes in other disciplines/sports. Are riders not tested out of competition by WADA/USADA as often/at all like in other sports? I know positive tests seem to frequent, but there are far more excuses by fans (there are often excuses by athletes so Iām not going there). Just curious. USADA usually requires that athletes list their schedules so that doping agents can stop by for out of competition tests. Suspensions can occur is an athlete isnāt where they say they will be (so update if on vacation, etc. be available by phoneā¦) or if they decline a test. This is my experience from following others sports. Once an athlete is listed in an international selection pool to represent the USA, they are fair game (in figure skating for example ā this includes minors).
None of this is about Buck. But heās been on the scene for a while. He may not regularly be tested but he should be aware he could be tested. I believe winners are generally tested in some sports as are those with outlier performances.
Regardless of all of this, I hope Buck is OK and I wish him the best. He looked MUCH better at Devon.
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The FEI conducts out of competition testing as well, but Davidsonās was an in competition violation.
I assumed it was an in competition test. But as you confirmed that there are FEI out of competition tests (as there should be if you want to play at this level), there are even less excuses for failing tests or not knowing the rules for ANY athlete.
I take doping seriously. Athletes, horses. Play by the rules. Just look at Russia and even Project Nike (?). I know thatās a bigger potentially different can of worms but itās all still fair play and WADA. You can excuse one violation and not others. Punish violations and those who made honest mistakes will learn from them. Those who didnāt make a mistake but tried to get away with something will either learn or get caught again and face much harsher punishment or be banned. We canāt have it both ways or everyone will just claim ignorance.
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Waiting for facts isnāt making excuses, just to be clear. I fully support sanctions where necessary.
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I just donāt know if weāre owed one. But, I get what youāre saying. I do feel the not filing a TUE of the past is just that, an excuse. I will say I am a Buck fan and I wish him well and I hope heās ok!
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Yes but we donāt even know what the substance was at this point. Which is kind of my point. Iām sure someone will do a report on it soon. If was his fault then thatās totally fair to say yep, his fault and not ok. Right now I just donāt think thereās enough info at all.
I just know previous riders have been suicidal over the hate online they received from a suspension. I would hate to add to anyoneās struggles when they are already struggling.
No one is here doing that either, not suggesting that. Just sometimes these threads head in that direction.
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This is definitely part of it. While this exists too (though weightloss drugs are huge in other sports and rec drugs pop up ālife bans occur for trace amounts cocaine a lot in some sports), itās just a different culture. But, I just feel a positive test is a positive test. Otherwise it undermines the whole system. Iām not sure I always felt this way either or if the Kamila Valieva situation in Russia (still dragging on and no team figure skating medals from the Olympics have been awarded because of that) has led me to be harsher in my views. Meanwhile others were suspended immediately in the same sport due. She was allowed to compete because she was a minor and didnāt know better (sheās been tested for years at that point. Another competitor was nearly suspended for years for being late to her first in competition drug test due to a language barrier and received a fine and a reprimand. She was 30 minutes late at 13. Soā¦ yeah. I just struggle. But this was a huge tangent. Lol
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Russia is a different animal altogether. They are well known for their state sponsored doping programs.
Thankfully U.S. Equestrian doesnāt have that issue.
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I am now imagining the Drunk Olympics.
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Actually there are only a few Olympic Sports that regulate alcohol.
The WADA has left controlling alcohol use to the International Federations of each sport.
From what I can find, there is no FEI ban on alcohol in horse sport.
From the WADA website;
āEffective 1 January 2018, and after careful consideration and extensive consultation, Alcohol is excluded from the Prohibited List. The intent of this change is not to compromise the integrity or safety of any sport where alcohol use is a concern, but rather to endorse a different means of enforcing bans on alcohol use in these sports. The International Federations (IF) affected by this change were alerted sufficiently in advance in order to amend their rules and to put in place protocols to test for alcohol use and appropriately sanction athletes who do not abide by the rules of their sport. Control of the process will allow IF more flexibility in applying rules or thresholds as they see fit. The National Anti-Doping Organizations are no longer obliged to conduct tests but may assist IF and National Federations where appropriate.ā
Yes, this. Thank you 
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When I read this thread, my first response is that collectively, posters are being unnecessarily harsh when we donāt actually know any details.
But my follow up question to that is: how frequently are FEI riders actually tested in competition? My understanding is that itās pretty infrequent, but I donāt know the answer to that. Do they randomly pick a few athletes at every competition? Do they only test when itās a ābigā competition? Do they always test under certain circumstances or is it total whimsy? Or is every rider tested?
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