Four horses that competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece–including one gold medalist–have tested positive for banned substances. The four positive horses are Irish show jumping gold medal winner Waterford Crystal, ridden by Cian O’Connor; German showjumper Goldfever, ridden by Ludger Beerbaum; German event horse Ringwood Cockatoo, ridden by Bettina Hoy; and Austrian event horse Foxy, ridden by Harald Riedl.

According to England’s Horse and Hound, James Sheeran, BVSc, veterinarian for Waterford Crystal, had given the horse a mild sedative during hydrotherapy treatment for a fetlock injury on July 22, but felt the drug residues should have dissipated before the Olympics.

A German Equestrian Federation release stated Goldfever tested positive for the corticosteroid betamethasone, which Beerbaum said was in a zinc ointment used to treat a fetlock injury. Ringwood Cockatoo tested positive for the antihistamine hydroxy-diphenhydramine, which was in the Benadryl lotion used to treat a swelling in the saddle area.

Forty horses were randomly sampled for testing in Athens, which was 20% of the total number of competing horses at the games. All medal winners–both horses and riders–participated in mandatory drug testing