Two-Year Ban for Endurance Rider in 'Feed Contamination' Claim

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

June 8, 2018
by: Pippa Cuckson

A young Uruguayan endurance rider has been suspended for two years and fined 3,000 Swiss francs by the FEI Tribunal after her horse tested positive to a substance associated with lowering the heart rate.

Victoria Goni, 22, argued vehemently that the presence of banned substance ergonovine in El Mate’s sample was caused by contaminated feed. Uruguay has a known problem with an arable fungus which can cause a disease called ergotism linked with alkaloids including ergonovine. In worst cases, ergotism leads to gangrene of the limbs.

However the FEI argued that as “one of the side-effects of ergonovine was that it lowered the heart rate” and “it could therefore be abused in endurance.”

El Mate was sampled at a 120km ride in Trinidad in February 2017. (FEI results show there were just three starters, with El Mate the only finisher at an average speed of 18.7kph)...

Read more here:
https://horse-canada.com/horse-news/two-year-doping-ban-endurance-rider-feed-contamination-claim/