Canadian Olympic Team member for Show Jumping Tiffany Foster of Schomberg, ON, was disqualified from Olympic competition on August 5.
Less than one hour before the start of team competition, scheduled to commence at 11 a.m., FEI veterinarians entered the stall of Victor, the horse ridden by Foster. Following a routine examination of the horse in its stall, Terrance Millar, chef d’équipe of the Canadian Olympic Team for Show Jumping, was informed that Foster was disqualified under the International Equestrian Federation’s (FEI) hypersensitivity protocol.
An official communication issued by the FEI read: “The Veterinary Commission have stated that the horse has an area of inflammation and sensitivity on the forelimb just above the hoof. There is no accusation of malpractice, but the horse has been deemed unfit to compete by the Ground Jury.”
Millar lodged a protest which was heard by the FEI Appeal Committee before the end of the competition. However, the protest was denied based on Annex XI of the FEI Veterinary Regulations, which state: “there is no appeal against the decision of the Ground Jury to disqualify a horse for abnormal sensitivity from an Event.”
Foster and Victor, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Artisan Farms and Torrey Pines Stable, were disqualified from further Olympic participation.