Show jumper Tom Schewe sanctioned in fast track proceedings for prohibited medication

It was a minor sensation when the 27-year-old Tom Schewe and the nine-year-old Congress Blue jumped to third place at the World Cup tournament in Bordeaux. However, the placing and the associated prize money and ranking points were revoked. In the doping test after the ride, Congress Blue PS tested positive for the substance 3-hydroxydetomidine, a degradation product of the drug detomidine, which is commonly used in veterinary medicine as a sedative (tranquilizer), anesthetic (anaesthetic) and analgesic (painkiller), for example in the treatment of colic.

What is Detomidine?

At the FEI, 3-hydroxydetomidine falls into the Controlled Medication category and is listed with a withdrawal period of 48 hours. At the FN, the drug is listed in Annex I: List of doping substances and prohibited methods (prohibited in competition) and is specified with a six-day withdrawal period.

Tom Schewe says: “We don’t know where it came from. That’s why we applied for the B sample to be opened, which was positive. We look after the horses to the best of our knowledge and belief. I get tested somewhere on average once a month and have never been guilty of anything. The vet is certain that he did not treat this horse with this medication in the short period before the competition.”

Fast Track procedure

As 3-hydroxydetomidine is a substance classified as a prohibited medication, i.e. a drug that may be used for treatment but not at competitions, Tom Schewe had the option of making use of the FEI’s “fast track” procedure. He accepts a fine of 1,500 Swiss francs, bears the costs of the procedure, which amount to 2,000 francs including the opening of the B sample, and is not banned for this. However, he also waives the right to a hearing before the FEI Tribunal.

It didn’t make much sense for Schewe to go to court, even if neither he as a rider nor the vet had an explanation for the positive sample. “We thought about it, but it would cost 20, 30, 40,000 euros and could take years. We have a burden of proof. As a rule, you don’t stand a chance and you also risk a ban. The result would have been canceled anyway. That’s why I’ve been forced to accept it.”

Because he was so sure of his innocence, he applied for the B sample to be opened. If this had been negative, the FEI would have had to close the case. Now Schewe has to bear the consequences. “I am particularly sorry for the horse. But he is so extraordinary, I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about him!”

On the different waiting and waiting periods at FEI and FN

Already in connection with the medication case of Josch Löhden at the beginning of the year, the question arose as to how it can be that the International Equestrian Federation FEI and the FN specify such different times. This is the background.

The FEI specifies the elimination time. To find this out, a limited number of horses were administered the drug to be tested in a therapeutically effective dose and then tested to see how long it took for the substance to become undetectable. However, these figures are only indicative and do not represent the entire horse population, as each metabolism is individual. The FEI also explicitly points this out.

The FN, on the other hand, takes the elimination time and the individual properties of the medication to be administered as a starting point and adds an individual safety margin to arrive at the recommended withdrawal time and thus give the rider the greatest possible safety.