Shock hit the equestrian world on Friday, 8th October, 2004 when it was revealed that Showjumping Individual Gold medallist, Cian O'Connor for Ireland and Team Gold medallist for Germany, Ludger Beerbaum had both returned positive drug tests for their Olympic horses - putting the Gold medals in doubt!

Bettina Hoy for Germany also returned a positive test for her eventing horse but these Gold medals had already been awarded and withdrawn amidst huge controversary so for Bettina it would be just another disaster added to an already disasterous Olympic Games.

The fourth Olympic rider appears to be an Austrian and there is talk about whether it was an eventer or a dressage rider and more recent news tells of a carriage driving horse which has tested positive - but to be honest there is little interest in the fourth horse, other than it is yet another case of a positive tested horse from Athens!

Ludger Beerbaum appears resigned to the fact that his team members will all be punished for his horses positive test and will have their Gold medals removed - Cian's life which looked to perfect is now in tatters around his feet as he fights to convince the world that he is "not a cheat" and that neither he nor his vet, James Sheeran, have done anything wrong as news hits that his horse ABC Landliebe tested positive to the exact same substance in Rome in May this year.

While all this goes on rocking the worlds of so many , Australia has it's own disaster forming as it is widely rumoured that Australian Olympic Showjumping representative Tim Armitrano, who faired rather less than shockingly tested positive with his horse Mr Innocent, at the Rotterdam CSIO in June, prior to his selection for Athens.

If this proves to be true then it must surely beg questions regarding the Australian selection process for Athens and it's legitimacy.

Although Australia is not considered a "major player" in the international world of showjumping the National Federation is, as all National Federations are, duty bound to have in place fair and transparent selection criteria which should instill confidence in the general membership who after all pay the wages of those decisions makers.

There was a great deal of public involvement in Australia in the leadup to the selection for Athens as the two main contenders worked to ensure they were the "chosen one" and as Australian's know, the final selection gave the sole position to Queenslander, Tim Armitrano and his quarter horse cross gelding Mr Innocent and their performance in Athens is still the butt of many jokes from the "rest of the world"!

Commentators referred to him as "the Australian lad who brought his own carpenter" and the "boy who was going for a PB (personal best) as he clocks up a final tally of 48 penalties" and the spectators in the Markopoulo Arena booed him out of the arena as he left - this was not a good thing for the Australians who wish to be taken seriously in the northern hemisphere as it brought the petty and unprofessional attitude out from the "far away country" and into a very public space.

The "loser" in the battle for selection was Andrew Inglis but prior to the final selection, he and his partner, Jenny Sheppard took the decision to go to the Australian public for help to get this combination to Europe to prove their right to represent their country by competing against the best in the world.

The Australian public got behind this combination and the fund raisers were held far and wide in Australia and they got to Europe, competed and did well - but apparently not well enough for the Selectors and so long as a strict and well understood criteria was followed, that would have been the end of that but it is slowly emerging that this was not the case!

Now as Andrew and Mr Burns did not compete in Athens, it can only be speculation as to whether or not they would have done any better and your author has not been shy about suggesting that Australia should simply not have fielded any representative for this Games but it is now coming out that irrespective of who would/should have gone to Athens, there is much which has been kept well hidden from the Australian public and it is time the truth is spoken.

Over the past 24 hours I and many other Australian journalists and Federation Officials and members have received emails from an anonymous author suggesting many things - I will not publish this email at this time as I believe that it is unvalidated due to the anonymous nature of the writer - however research has been done and over the coming days, there will no doubt be more and more information given and we will bring it to you as it happens.

I have never been a believer in "trial by media" and will not indulge in it - however there are questions to be asked and at this stage the answers are very concerning - especially for those with Olympic or World Games aspirations, whether they be riders or owners, as there appears to be a "mushroom mentality" where the Federation like to keep the membership in the dark.

The email which has been circulated leads to the following questions which must be answered by the Equestrian Federation of Australia and I have been promised, by officials, that these questions will be answered within a very short period of time - some of the questions I think we all want answers to are as follow:

1. Has Tim Armitrano's horse, Mr Innocent returned a positive A test from any CSIO event in Europe well prior to the Athens selection?

2. If he did in fact return a positive A sample did he request the B sample to be tested?

3. Was Mr Innocent given a full vetting, as required by the Australian Selection Procedures on his selection?

4. Why was Mr Innocent not competed for some 6 weeks prior to the Games - a most unusual workup to an Olympic Games?

If these questions are answered then much of the "behind the shelter sheds" gossip which is raging like an out of control bush fire will become controlled and we can all get back to the business of improving showjumping - but until such time there will be no faith in the Equestrian Federation of Australia and its management.

The fall out from the positive A sample from Cian O'Connor's horse Waterford Crystal is immense and is rocking the world of showjumping but at least the Equestrian Federation of Ireland are making sure the public is aware of the facts as the disaster unfolds - it is not good but at least there is complete disclosure from the Federation - Australia stand up and be counted!