California Riding Magazine • May, 2010

World Cup Wows!
McLain Ward’s horse disqualified from
World Cup Finals after taking the lead.

by Kim F. Miller

Germany’s Marcus Ehning won his third World Cup Show Jumping Finals, held April 15-18 in Geneva, but that wasn’t the event’s big news.

That distinction went to the shocker of McLain Ward’s amazing mare Sapphire being eliminated from the competition. The decision was made by the event’s Ground Jury after rounds on Saturday that put the pair atop the leaderboard going into Sunday’s finale.

Hypersensitivity in a spot on the left foreleg was given as the cause of the disqualification in the FEI’s press release. Among several horses to be tested for this condition, as is routine, Sapphire was first examined Saturday evening shortly after that night’s competition got underway. A difference in sensitivity between the left and right forelegs was noted, but she was cleared to compete. A repeated test, again using thermography and a clinical exam including palpation, showed similar results. Later that night, it was announced that Sapphire had been disqualified from the Finals.

The ensuing controversy was immediately huge and likely to get bigger. It comes during the convergence of massive efforts by equestrian sport, particularly show jumping, to eradicate the perception and realities of illegal medications and treatments to gain an unfair advantage. Everybody involved professes to advocate “clean” sport, but many say the current means of detection and enforcement are too apt to penalize the innocent.

Backed by the United State’s Equestrian Federation, Ward’s attempt to repeal the disqualification in time to continue the competition was denied. The FEI Tribunal said it did not have jurisdiction over the event’s Ground Jury and the Ground Jury said it was following protocol on dealing with horses that test positive for hypersensitivity. After a sleepless Saturday night that included several hours of face-to-face confrontation with Ground Jury members, Ward brought Sapphire out the next morning and invited fellow riders, veterinarians and the media to watch her jog and to examine her themselves. When the FEI declined his request to conduct a doping test, Ward ordered it himself.

There is an important distinction between a horse being hypersensitive and the act of hypersensitizing the legs by the application of substances or treatments to make the horse unusually sensitive to the pain of hitting a jumping rail. The FEI’s initial statement did not accuse
Ward or any others of any wrongdoing: it stated that the mare’s left leg hypersensitivity made her “unfit to compete” per rules meant to protect equine welfare.

Sapphire and Ward are two-time Olympic gold medalists who finished the World Cup Finals second last year, just missing to Meredith Michaels Beerbaum and Shutterfly, who were not in Geneva because of the recent birth of the Beerbaums’ daughter. Sapphire has a track record of remarkable success and soundness, but Ward does have a black mark on his record. Over 10 years ago at the Aachen CHIO in Germany, he was accused of and suspended from competition for using foreleg boots deemed to make his horse super sensitive to rapping rails.

There was talk of riders boycotting the last round of the Finals, but the competition continued on Sunday. Ehning was followed by fellow German Ludger Beerbuam and Swiss rider Pius Schwizer finished third. Mario Deslauriers was the highest placing American at fifth and West Coaster Richard Spooner had a spectacular Sunday with Cristallo to come out tied for seventh. Rich Fellers and Flexible won the opening day’s speed class and finished tied for 12th.