South Africa: Contaminated hay behind drugs breach in Endurance horse, tribunal finds

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

October 12, 2019
Horsetalk.co.nz

Contamination of teff hay with an invasive weed was behind a failed drug test in an Endurance horse in South Africa, the FEI Tribunal was told.

The contamination gave rise to a positive drug test for atropine and scopolamine in the horse Eks Aman, who competed in a CEI1* 80km event at Bredasdorp on September 29 last year.

The rider, Nico-Meyer Le Roux, acknowledged the positive drugs test, but received no fine or disqualification after the tribunal and FEI agreed that he bore no fault or negligence over the breach.

The source of the two related substances was found to have arisen from contamination of the hay with Datura stramonium, also known in South Africa as oileboom of stinkblaar.

The weed, which goes by the English names jimsonweed or devil’s snare, is a plant in the nightshade family which is now found in many parts of the world...

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2019/10/12/contaminated-hay-drugs-breach-endurance-horse/