Four horses that competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, have tested positive for banned substances, including a gold medal winner. The four positive horses are showjumping gold medal winner Waterford Crystal, ridden by Cian O’Connor and representing Ireland; showjumper Goldfever, ridden by Ludger Beerbaum and representing Germany; event horse Ringwood Cockatoo, ridden by Bettina Hoy and representing Germany; and event horse Foxy, ridden by Harald Riedl and representing Austria.

O’Connor told England’s Horse and Hound, “I am fully aware of the FEI rules, and I know that I must take responsibility for any medication administered to my horse. I absolutely believe no performance-enhancing drugs were given to the horse.”

James Sheeran, BVSc, veterinarian for Waterford Crystal, had given the horse a mild sedative during hydrotherapy treatment for a fetlock injury on July 22, 2004, but felt the drug residues should have dissipated over the month that passed before the horse competed in the Olympics.

A total of 40 horses were randomly sampled in Athens, which was 20% of the total number of competing horses at the games. All medal winners–both horses and riders–participated in mandatory drug testing. Blood and urine samples were taken from each horse. The fluids were then separated into A and B containers and sent to the FEI Central MCP Laboratory in Paris for analysis; only the A samples were used in this initial testing. “A and B are just two samples from the same source and taken at the same time. It is a backup and protection to the horse in case something happens to the first sample,” says Jack Snyder, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, professor in the University of California, Davis’ Department of Surgical and Radiologic Services and a director of the Olympic Veterinary Clinic that was operating in Athens during the Games