Irish Army's showjumping horse failed drug test

The Irish Army rider had to pay a €1,000 (£845) fine after the failed drug test

An Irish Army horse failed a drug test after it took part in a showjumping competition in Northern Ireland.

The horse, named LMK Derry, was selected for random testing in May during a qualifier event for the prestigious Dublin Horse Show.

The test result showed the horse tested positive for a sedative called 2-(1-hydroxyethyl) promazine sulfoxide.

It is not a banned substance but it is a controlled medication which cannot be used during competitions.

In a statement, the Irish Defence Forces said an investigation was "unable to identify or ascertain how the horse came to be in contact with that medication".

The qualifier was hosted by the Meadows Equestrian Centre in Lurgan, County Armagh.

The Defence Forces insisted that the sedative medication "would have no beneficial performance enhancing effect on LMK Derry".

The event was hosted by the Meadows Equestrian Centre in Lurgan

Army rider fined

Nevertheless, both the horse and its Irish Army rider, Lt Michaelí Byrne, were disqualified from the event following the test result.

Lt Byrne also had to pay a €1,000 (£845) fine and €500 (£423) in costs.

The Irish Independent, which first reported the story, said there was no suggestion that the rider was responsible for administering the sedative.

LMK Derry is a six-year-old grey gelding which is trained at the Irish Army's Equitation School in Dublin's Phoenix Park.

The Defences Forces describes it as a school of "equestrian excellence" whose Army riders have "been the backbone of Irish show-jumping and event teams".

Its statement said the medical history of every horse at the school is "diligently maintained and a record of all medications recorded".

They explained that the sedative detected in the horse "is regularly issued under veterinary supervision" at the school.

"This sedative is prescribed for use in a variety of situations, such as the exercise of horses returning from restricted activity due to injury," the Defence Forces said.

However, they did not respond to a question about LMK Derry's injury status in the months leading up to the Lurgan competition.

But they did say the school continues "to work in close coordination with their team of vets to ensure the health and welfare of all the horses in the Equitation School".

'Violation noted'

The official owner of the Irish Army horse is the Minister for Defence Micheál Martin.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Defence told BBC News NI that the Defence Forces had advised it of the results of LMK Derry's drug test.

"The department has noted the violation relating to the presence of a controlled medication substance and has no further comment to make," she said.