Michael Whitaker suspended??!!

C

CharCharSlide

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I was at a show in Holland this weekend and on Friday jeroen Dubbeldam told me that Michael Whitaker had been suspended for doping issues in la Baule. he already had the horses in Monaco but wasnt allowed to jump them because the results from la baule had come back and he was since suspended.

I spoke to a few people in UK and at Hickstead and no one else has heard about it and I havent seen it published anywhere so was just wondering if anyone else had heard anything?
 
That's bad news indeed. I hope that it's medication not having got out of the system rather than doping as such. Michael was still on start lists on Friday. He was to have been on the British team in Aachen next week, but I've just checked and seen that he has been replaced by Philip Spivey. I am amazed that we can't field someone more experienced at Europe's most important show.
 
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I hope that it's medication not having got out of the system rather than doping as such.

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Hope so too! I really wish that wasn't such a dire offence, if they banned humans for having something in their system - there'd be no athletics on the telly!
 
I have always been under the impression that regumate is illegal...certainly is in racing and we took a mare off it to go jumping internationally...this was back in 2002!
 
Big news in Germany last Friday, for obvious reasons, still amazing how slow H+H is with some news. Allegedly Mr. Whitaker used regumate on Tackery, i.e. a gelding. Regumate is of course the source for the subtance found according to Mr. Whitacker.
 
From FEI current document:
The use of altrenogest (Regumate) is currently permitted for
mares with oestrus-related behavioural problems.
 
Found this:
“The FEI can confirm that the "A sample" taken from the horse TACKERAY ridden by Michael Whitaker at CSIO5*, in La Baule, France on 14 May 2009 tested positive for the Prohibited Substance Altrenogest, which is classified as "doping" under the Equine Anti-Doping and Medication Control Rules. Consistent with FEI rules, the rider was provisionally suspended from competition. Mr. Whitaker challenged the provisional suspension at a preliminary hearing today before the Preliminary Hearing Panel member. The provisional suspension of Mr. Whitaker was maintained by the Preliminary Hearing Panel member and Mr. Whitaker therefore remains provisionally suspended. Mr. Whitaker has requested a B Sample confirmatory analysis and a full hearing before the FEI Tribunal. “
from here http://www.horsedaily.net/horsedaily.net/Home.html
Secondary source though, may not be accurate
 
There could have been cross-contamination if horses at his yard share feed buckets, rather than a gelding being fed regumate intentionally. Has happened to people with bute in the past I think. The drug tests are so sensitive now, you do not need the horse to consume a lot for them to be able to pick it up in testing.
 
i think we should all wait for the official statements before commenting really, but I will just clarify one point. Michael did indeed take his horses to monaco to compete in the Global Champions Tour but withdrew of his own volition once the FEI told him the result of the test.
As I am sure most of you are aware riders do not get immmediately suspended by the FEI they have to have hearings etc< Michael may ask for the B sample to be tested etc etc. Although the National federation of the rider concerned may take matters into their own hands e.g. Germany
 
Mike Tucker just confirmed it on his commentary at the Derby. Said Michael could be out for a long time, William W could get a lot more rides etc, which i don't think he should have been saying when there's been no official statements let alone B samples tested or hearings!
 
Are you saying that tucker has out his foot in it?
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Surely not.....
 
Lol
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Peter Charles has just confirmed that: Portofino is fed regumate, unfortunately the feed buckets were mixed up hence Tackeray testing positive for it. Not that Tackeray received a full dose of it - just lierally a trace of it was found where it's eaten out of a bucket used usually for Portofino.

Bugger
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i think a groom might be getting a big telling off. jeeeez.
poor Michael, what a nightmare for him.
i do think this testing is getting a bit ridiculous now tbh. if it is a substance that could not possibly have had any performance enhancing value, and it was present in absolutely minute quantities, then i think the powers that be could be lenient.
 
ah, i have just been put right on one point. apparently if fed to geldings or stallions, Regumate can make them less blokey and easier to handle, so it could have been "performance enhancing" and therefore deliberate...
i had no idea.
 
Possibly in a large dose, but in the minute amount found in Tackeray i dont see how it could have any enchancement at all. However, i'm just working off what i've heard. Have to wait to hear official statements and get the full story im thinking
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Regumate has only been allowed under FEI rules for a relatively short amount of time, hence the number of people who remember it being an issue. But as said, it is specifically banned for geldings and stallions (and yes, it is used for the reason kerilli mentioned, more than you'd think . . which puts competing stallions under a bit of a new light . . ).

The obvious answer is establishing "legal limits" but that's actually quite tricky. The other point is that theoretically no horse competing at FEI level should ever be given the substances in question so a trace test means the horse was given it at some point. Establishing that it was done by error is obviously very difficult and opens the door to people who are less than law abiding abusing the system.

I do think it's all got a bit over the top but I sympathise with the people who have to set and enforce the rules.
 
Guessing the argument is that it makes mares 'normal'

A stallion can be gelded to ease his hormonal behaviour whereas a mare cannot. I suppose the argument is that regumate is the mare equivalent of castration!
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Would just like to mention....having been dropped in it at the last minute! .... Experienced or not....It's bl**dy big out there....
Good luck Spiv!
 
I think you are allowed to use it for mares providing u fill out a form of decleration. So basically th FEI is allowing it as long as it is declared. The contamination of buckets means that a horse has received it that does not have the appropriate decleration forms and is also a gelding!
 
Will we get to hear if a certain groom gets their marching orders?

All this 'contaminated feed bucket' malarky - we wash ours out after EVERY feed. Always have. I can't imagine that on a professional yard things aren't done at least as properly as I do them here
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You'd have thought they're have those built in feed thingys - the ones that you can swing in and out! Although i suppose if a horse got put in the wrong stable then the same problem occurs
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I see how you mean about making a mare 'normal'! Guess we'll find out more in due course.
 
The cross contamination is easy.....it happend with one of hours before the Olympics!!! Thankfully the trace amounts were out of his system before we went (we tested) but it was close! Essentially what happened was that our Olympic horse (don't want to say who as owner might not want this being on here) and one other horse on the yard had lunch feeds. The other horse was on a prescription course of Steroids for a slipping stifle, whereas obviously the Olymp boy was on nothing. Well, the working pupil managed to get the buckets mixed up and fed the wrong horses the wrong feeds!!!! He got the full dose as well!!! He was instantly pumped with diuretics and had regular blood tests and we declared the incident happening to the authorities but it goes to show how easily these things can happen - if we hadn't realised it had happened and been drug tested...that would have been it!!!
 
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ah, i have just been put right on one point. apparently if fed to geldings or stallions, Regumate can make them less blokey and easier to handle, so it could have been "performance enhancing" and therefore deliberate...
i had no idea.

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It has little or no effect on geldings - and trials in the USA indicate it's ONLY useful as a 'calmer' on young stallions (2-4) and has little or no effect on the temperaments of mature stallions. It has other effects of course, including reducing the size of the horse's testicles and reducing sperm production. I don't know if they collect from this horse during the competition season but if they do, no WAY would it be given deliberately. Not that I think for a moment MW would risk it - even if the horse needed something!

Regumate IS very greasy and 'sticks' to food bowls like glue. I'd say it was carelessness by a groom - as one of his mares has it - perfectly legally!
 
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Regumate IS very greasy and 'sticks' to food bowls like glue. I'd say it was carelessness by a groom - as one of his mares has it - perfectly legally!

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Agreed - you have to be very careful with it - and not only with horses.

I had a mare on it briefly and the one thing my vet made absolutely clear to me was NOT to mix feed containing regumate with your hands - humans can also absorbe it and if you are female it will have exactly the same effect on you as on your horse !!
 
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