Walsh believes new laws can combat equine doping scourge

THE Chairman of Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) Joe Walsh conceded yesterday it will never be possible to guarantee that equestrian sport will be totally clean, but new regulations will see HSI succeed as much “as humanly possible”.

“People will always flout the law and we can never be 101% sure, but we are determined that when riders compete, they will all start from the same row on the grid,” said Walsh.

He was speaking at the publication of a report and recommendations drawn up by HSI’s expert group that will see Irish riders subjected to rigorous assessment in a bid to eradicate the use of prohibited substances and practices. The group, chaired by Dr Gordon Holmes, was set up after Lantinus, the horse ridden by Denis Lynch at the Olympics in Hong Kong last August, became one of five horses to test positive for the substance capsaicin.