Analysis of the B sample from Jessica Kürten's La Baule Grand Prix winner Castle Forbes Maike could be completed by early next month, it was revealed yesterday.
A spokesperson for the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) said B sample testing was normally carried out very quickly once the rider had requested confirmatory analysis. "It's normally a matter of a few weeks", the FEI spokesperson said. "The B testing is normally done as fast as possible to prevent sample degradation."
Kürten has already requested confirmatory analysis on the B sample and the FEI has been given a list of possible dates by the testing laboratory.
The federation is now awaiting communication from Kürten's lawyer before a date is agreed as Kürten has the right to request the presence of a witness for the testing procedure.
A sample taken from Castle Forbes Maike at the French show in La Baule in May, where Kürten won the €100,000 Grand Prix, tested positive for a prohibited substance. Kürten confirmed the positive test during last week's European show jumping championships in Mannheim, Germany, but was adamant that she had not given anything to the horse.
The rider's husband, Eckardt Kürten, stated at the weekend that the prohibited substance was a medication issue, not a doping case.
As part of its medication control programme, the International Equestrian Federation's veterinary commission conducts random testing at all international fixtures. The top three horses in major competitions are also usually subject to testing.
German rider Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, the world's highest-ranked female show jumper, was the subject of a high-profile doping case in 2004. The American-born rider, who won individual gold and team silver for Germany in Mannheim last week, was left off Germany's Athens Olympic team after her horse Shutterfly tested positive to a tranquilliser after finishing second at the 2004 World Cup in Las Vegas.
The case against Michaels-Beerbaum, who is expected to take over as world number one following her win in Mannheim, was eventually dropped when it was revealed that a procedural irregularity meant the rider had not been offered the opportunity to have a witness present when the B sample analysis was being done.