NINETEEN-year-old Dutch show jumper Sanne Thijssen was temporarily suspended for six months on February 5th after her horse Sara Galotiere, who was euthanised at Liverpool International Horse Show in December, tested positive for banned substances.

The 11-year-old mare broke her leg while jumping a 1.50m class on December 30th and last week Thijssen received a letter from the FEI detailing that the mare had tested positive for ketamine and altrenogest (known commonly as regumate).

However, the show jumper was not aware that her horse had been tested at the show and is arguing that the ketamine, which is a painkiller and is used to anaesthetise horses, was given to the mare when she suffered the injury. The vet who treated the animal is claiming no ketamine was administrated.

Thijssen confirmed that the horse was on regumate, which is allowed under FEI rules once the appropriate form is signed by a vet. Speaking to Horse & Hound this week, Thijssen said because she was unaware of the testing, she had no opportunity to produce the document to show the mare was permitted to be on regumate.

Sanne is the daughter of Leon Thijssen, who represented The Netherlands at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. She won a silver medal at the 2016 FEI European Championships for Young Riders. On Friday, her FEI page stated ‘suspended from 05/02/2018’.

The Thijssen family have appointed a lawyer. The FEI were unavailable for comment but confirmed that samples are taken from a horse in the event of an equine fatality.