Oh god no! I adhere to the idea that the King camp stumbled a bit on the job because somehow, prohibited drugs got into the horse’s system. This is the reality of what you deal with when you go to the Olympics - zero tolerance. But I can’t imagine it was intentional at all. I don’t think anyone goes to the Olympics thinking they’ll use performance enhancers and not get tested. This is where “analness” is required regarding what your horse is exposed to. A friend of mine once resorted to sleeping in her horse’s stall. Drastic, but she did not fail a drug test.
Does this reflect on Courtney? God no! She was unlucky. SHe’s not the first rider and she won’t be the last of a horse who tested positive for prohibited substances and was exposed by accident. Similarly, I can’t even imagine that a star like Rodrigo Pessoa would intentionally risk a positive drug test. He’s sooooooo experienced at this level and knows the probability of being tested.
Courtney’s horse failed the drug test. If I had the gobs of money I’m sure she commands, I would not hesitate to send my horse to her for training and showing. I would rejoice if she accepted me. I’m pretty confident most feel this way as well.
In total agreement with Ridgeback, the equestrian sports will be cut due to monetery reasons and the fact that relatively few countries excel. Not because of doping. If sports got cut due to doping, we’d see FAR fewer of our favorite events already.
