As I reported in a previous blog post, the Canadian jumper Victor was disqualified from the 2012 Olympic team jumping competition after failing a hypersensitivity test. According to the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), Victor had a small area of “clear and obvious sensitivity on the front of the left forelimb.”

Rider Tiffany Foster was reportedly devastated. Her coach, fellow Canadian team member Eric Lamaze, is reportedly outraged. So was the Canadian equestrian-team manager, Terrance Millar, who decried what he saw as a lack of common sense in the decision to disqualify a horse for what he termed a minor and insignificant nick.

As some see it, the Canadian national equestrian federation, Equine Canada, poured salt in the wound when it issued a statement August 7 that “We fully support the FEI in its hypersensitivity testing protocol.” The statement went on to acknowledge that the Canadian team is “disappointed in the outcome” but affirmed that “the welfare of the horse…must always be paramount.” 

The Equine Canada statement did acknowledge the fact that Foster was not being accused of any wrongdoing. Read the full statement

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