The FEI Tribunal have opted to impose a stricter punishment than usual after a sample taken from the horse revealed the presence of five prohibited substances.

Under current FEI Equine Anti-Doping Rules, the maximum sanction for a first offence is two years but the sport's worldwide governing body believed this was not sufficient given Obama Al Aswad failed for banned substance Boldenone and the controlled medications Dexamethasone, Meloxicam, Phenylbutazone and its metabolite Oxyphenbutazone.

"Due to the presence of five prohibited substances, including the banned substance Boldenone, and the performance enhancing effects of the cocktail of drugs, the Tribunal felt that the imposition of a period of ineligibility greater than the standard sanction was justified," an FEI statement read.

Al Fayez will not be able to return to action until December 19, 2018 as his provisional suspension counted towards his ban.

He was also disqualified from the event where the horse failed the test, the 80 kilometres CEI*1 in Amman where he finished second, while he has been ordered to pay a total of CHF8,000 (£6,500/$8,000/€7,500).

In another decision announced by the FEI Tribunal, Swiss Para-equestrian rider Matthias Klausener has avoided a ban after the organisation ruled his horse Dendros had ingested a banned substance, Demecolcine, by accident.

Dendros failed a drugs test at the CPEDI3* in Somma Lombardo in June but the FEI confirmed traces of the substance were found "through ingesting hay that had been contaminated by autumn crocus".

"The athlete established to the satisfaction of the Tribunal that he bore no fault or negligence for the rule violation and, as a result, the Tribunal ruled that no further sanctions should be imposed, other than the automatic disqualification of the horse and athlete from the competition, in which they finished sixth," the FEI said.

Both athletes have 21 days to appeal the decisions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.