Horse Sport Ireland naturally lodged a protest after failing to qualify for Rio in bizarre circumstances. Cian O'Connor, aboard 'Good Luck', required a clear round on his last jaunt around the track to allow Ireland to qualify.
During his run, a steward ran across the horses path causing O'Connor to slow up. He clipped a bar at the next fence, resulting in four faults.
However, the Grand Jury in Aachen have rejected his appeal on the grounds that he could have stopped and made his protest known and yet chose to keep going.
The protest was heard by the Ground Jury, who ruled that as the athlete had continued his round, they saw no reason to stop him by ringing the bell. Under Article 233.3 of the FEI Jumping Rules, the athlete had the opportunity to stop voluntarily due to unforeseen circumstances beyond his control, however he did not do so.
Horse Sport Ireland are not happy with the ruling and they are considering an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The whole thing is utterly shambolic. And who the hell is that steward?
