Steve Guerdat is allowed to ride again – horses remain suspended
About one week ago (20 July 2015) the FEI announced that three Suiss horses – Steve Guerdat’s Nasa and Nino des Buissonets and Alessandra Bichsel’s Charivari KG – and their riders were suspended after they were positively tested for prohibited substances in La Baule and Deauville.
The officials said, that the positive results (Codein, Morphine, Oripavin) could have been caused by conatminated food. The riders had the chance to prove their innocence at a hearing in front of the FEI Tribunal. Steve Guerdat did exactly that and his provisional suspension was lifted. His horses remain suspended.
On his website he wrote the following statement:
The FEI has informed Swiss show jumper Steve Guerdat that the provisional suspension, spoken against him by the FEI on July 20, is lifted today at midnight. This decision was made following the preliminary hearing before the FEI Tribunal on July 23, based on the scientific evidence presented which suggests food contamination as cause for the findings of the FEI investigation, which is not due to the fault of the rider, and his request for lift of the provisional suspension against him as Person responsible according FEI Rules. Steve Guerdat can thus again take part in jumping competitions and will immediately start the respective planning.
Steve Guerdat is relieved and happy about the FEI decision to lift his provisional suspension against him. At the same time, however, he regrets that due to the current FEI Rules applicable the provisional suspension against his two horses is maintained. Guerdat and his team will put every effort in the further ongoing process of the FEI investigation to provide as soon as possible the evidence for the mentioned food contamination as the cause of the positive findings, in order to suggest the lifting of the suspensions also for the horses before the FEI Tribunal.
Source: Steve Guerdat / Text © EQUESTRIAN WORLDWIDE – EQWO.net
