Kürten saga bound for FEI tribunal

SHOW jumper Jessica Kürten last night refused to accept the imposition of a minor fine by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) after it revealed the B sample taken from the horse Castle Forbes Maike had confirmed the presence of a prohibited substance.

The FEI yesterday said yesterday that etoricoxib had been found in the mare when it was tested last May in La Baule, France, where the German-based Antrim woman won the grand prix at the five-star show, pocketing more than €20,000.

The drug is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis in humans.

It is classified as a Medication Class A substance by the FEI, which is the least serious of the Swiss-based organisation’s three categories.

Kürten’s spokesperson last night said that, following consultation with her lawyer, the world number five rider had opted to reject the offer of a €750 fine and would opt to take the case to an FEI tribunal.

The spokesperson said Kürten did not know how the drug had come to be in the mare.

Kürten has until October 30 to provide “an explanation” to the FEI for the positive test, including “written evidence from the veterinarian indicating all treatments prescribed and administered to the horse during the six months prior to the event, and a statement from the groom”.

The FEI also wants details of “the stable management at home and at the event”.

The spokesperson said Kürten had only become aware of the releasing by the FEI of the B sample results yesterday when contacted by the media.

Kürten could have reason to be confident facing into the tribunal, as last week her lawyer claimed the decision by the FEI to bar her representative, University of Zurich academic Dr Laurent Bigler, from witnessing the analysis of the B sample in Paris had contravened World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.

The FEI dispute this, saying its rules allowed a rider’s representative to be present only for the identification and opening of the sample. Kürten was at the centre of a storm in August when the results of the A sample were leaked at the European Show Jumping Championships in Germany.

She lost her cool when approached by an RTÉ reporter and said: “I think there’s a pack of a**holes in Ireland who are trying to give me a bad time.”

In 2004, Castle Forbes Libertina, another horse ridden by Kürten, tested positive in Calgary, Canada, with Kürten claiming it was the result of contaminated feed she was forced to use at the show.

She was exonerated by the B sample. She also claimed at the time that “contrary to regulations, the B sample was in a regular plastic cup, not sealed properly and had leaked.”