The website horse.com posted this today. Yike!
Equine Teams in Germany Disbanded Following Olympic Drug Issues
by: Kimberly S. Brown, Editor
May 29 2009, Article # 14250
On May 28 the German equestrian federation stated that the national dressage, show jumping, and eventing teams had been disbanded “in the wake of further suggestions of doping and medication of horses,” according to an article on HorseandHound.com.
Yesterday’s announcement also stated that “any rider wishing to ride for Germany would be vetted by an independent panel to be set up by the German Olympic committee.”
In the 2008 Olympics, Germany took gold in team eventing; gold in individual eventing; gold in team dressage; silver in individual dressage; and bronze in individual dressage.
The article cited a May 4 admittance of rider Marco Kutscher to “using arnica and lactanese on his horse Cornet Oblensky in an interview with a German magazine.”
The HorseandHound.com article went on to say, “Kutscher’s teammate Christian Ahlmann was among five show jumpers whose horses tested positive for prohibited substances in Hong Kong last August.”