Swedish young rider champion Sara Henrietta Bergstrom Kallstrom has been suspended by the Swedish Equestrian Federation following a positive medication test on her horse Garcia at a national dressage show.
Bergstrom Kallstrom's 14-year old Swedish warmblood mare Garcia (by Bernstein x Brisad) tested positive to the banned substance Flunixin at the CDN Djursholm 18 - 20 September 2009. The disciplinary committee of the Swedish Equestrian Federation suspended the rider for four months, starting 12 March 2010.
Flunixin is an anti-inflammatory and both the A and B-samples of Garcia were positive. The doping test was done in the laboratories of the Statens Veterinärmedicinska Anstalt in Uppsala, Sweden, and contained 230 ng/ml of flunixin in the urine of the horse.
This medication case has caused an uproar in Sweden as Bergstrom Kallstrom tried to prove her innocence by investigation the matter. She found out that her horse most likely got contaminated with the substance because she was stabled for three days in the same temporary stall as Zorba, which was stalled in that same box for a month and was medicated with Finadyn and Phenylbutazone for laminitis. This horse was administered the medicine by a powder soaked in water and injected into this mouth. The drizzle coming from his mouth could have contaminated the stall. The box was only partly cleaned before Garcia's arrival at the competition and not all the bedding was removed.
The investigation of the circumstances, performed by the Swedish Trotting Association's special officer and analysed by their chief veterinarian Peter Forssberg, states that the levels of flunixin in the horse's body cannot be explained by Sara Henrietta Bergström Källström's theory alone.
"Banned medication is not allowed, irrespective of the circumstances," said Annika Ersgård, sport director of the Swedish Equestrian Federation. "Besides the fact that we want to have a clean sport, we also want to think of the welfare of the horse."
The very popular Sara Henrietta, who landed a major sponsor deal with fashion company Gina Tricot and is trained by Jan Brink, is devastated by the suspension. "The last few years I have dedicated to training myself as a "bereiter" and working on a professional level with my horses. I have never ever used any forbidden substances to my horses in combination with competitions. This would be detrimental to myself, my trainer and my sponsor."
"My homework is now to spread the following to all my competing colleagues: "if you need to stall your horse at a show or on the road, do not take for granted that you get a clean stall. Always pose the question to the stable owner/show organizer whether a horse has been medicated in that stall"
Photo © Barbara Schnell
Related Links
Hastmagasinet: SHBK Banned for Four Months (in Swedish)
Tidningen Ridsport: SHBK Suspended (in Swedish)
Swedish Equestrian Federation: Official Document of SHBK's Suspension
Swedish Equestrian Federation: Statement SHBK (in Swedish)
Bergstrom Kallstrom Wins 2009 Swedish Young Riders Championships
Bergstrom Kallstrom, Comet of the Year at the 2009 Swedish Riders' Gala