It is safe to assume that the Irish equestrian agency will have stricter policies against doping. The Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) recently made available a report that announced a clampdown on drugs, steroids and other forbidden substances as well as abusive practices in the Irish equestrian sport.

Crafted by an expert group spearheaded by Dr. Gordon Holmes, the report came out after a second succeeding Olympic embarrassment for the Irish team. Show jumper Denis Lynch was banned after his horse tested positive for doping during the Olympic equestrian event held in Hong Kong during the Beijing Olympics.

This was the second consecutive Olympics that the Irish equestrian team has suffered such a letdown, staining the good name of Ireland in this field of sports. As a result, Joe Walsh, the chairman of HSI, started to create measures to avoid doping scandals among players and horses. This is in response to the demand for the Irish authorities to have stricter rules and guidelines regarding this matter.

Upon implementation, it will include measures that are comprised of new drug-testing regimes for the equestrian sport. Before this, only Show Jumping Ireland has conducted drug testing. The Irish equestrian authorities admitted that they have only tested on a limited scale before, which Dr. Holmes has seen as something which is futile.

Rider licensing will also be initiated and HSI-appointed officials will then be allowed to enter stable yards, as well as training grounds, in order to investigate allegations of any wrongdoing.

The report further criticizes the sad fact that there is a lax culture that had pervaded the sector in relation with banned substances and practices. Because of this, the authorities have considered taking precautionary actions at the soonest possible time.

Independent Disciplinary and Appeal Committees will be in charge of the testing and international riders will be mandated to maintain a log book detailing all the medications and products that their veterinary surgeons, trainers or grooms administer to the horses. Riders will be required to surrender the horse’s logs to the HSI and OCI 60 days before each and every competition. Dr. Holmes said that the new log book rules will have each rider disclose everything that was administered to their horse and in case they end up in trouble, the log will serve as documentary evidence to back them up. This is also one way to protect the integrity of the rider.

This new policy is indeed a light in the dim world of sports doping. Equestrian sports has traditionally been a sport where horse and rider work together in competition. With horse doping, the risks are all carried by the horse. Administering illegal substances to these horses is like slowly killing these animals. Just try to consider how cruel these people who are practicing this method. The animals are being put at risk just for the sake of winning.

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