British-based five-star eventer Vittoria Panizzon said her career is “in tatters” through no fault of her own after being handed a four-year suspension by Italy’s national anti-doping organisation for missing a single out-of-competition human anti-dope test. Vittoria was abroad in November 2023 and had recorded her whereabouts on the official software as is required. When the tester came to her location without warning at 5am, she explains: “because of the multitude of gates and challenges accessing the property, the tester and I could not find each other according to the protocol, which allows no prior notice”. Vittoria has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The equestrian events at the Paris Paralympics are under way and Britain has won two bronze individual medals, with hopes high for more medals to come. Natasha Baker and Dawn Chorus got the first podium place with bronze in the individual grade III medal event, followed by bronze for Georgia Wilson and Sakura in the grade II individual competition. World number ones Mari Durward-Akhurst and Athene Lindebjerg were the third and last British combination to ride today in the grade I.
As well as world-class sporting action in France, we have the Defender Burghley Horse Trials to look forward to this week. There has been a change to this year’s Burghley pathfinder following the withdrawal of Tim Price’s ride De Coeur Dudevin, who had been drawn as number one in the field. This leaves Harry Meade expected to be the rider to lead the way in the competition with Superstition, who makes his British five-star debut after three top-10 placings at US five-stars. H&H will have a dedicated team of journalists on the ground at Burghley throughout the week to bring you all the action as it happens.
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Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.
