FEI Shock: Bute Will Be Allowed in International Competitions

by Fran Jurga | 19 November 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com


History was made today in Copenhagen, Denmark when delegates from the member nations that comprise the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the world governing body of horse sports for competitions such as the World Cups, World Equestrian Games and Olympics, voted to allow small amounts of non-steroidal medications to be given to competition horses.

The FEI has to date promoted a zero-tolerance policy on all medication.

US riders have always had to compete on a double standard, since most US show organizations allow low levels of medication, but when upper level horses qualified for international events, no medication could be given.

However, in all press reports from Copenhagen, there is denial that the proposal was pushed by the United States in order to bring the world closer to US rules. Many nations are adamant that no drugs at all is the only acceptable policy for the highest level of sport to be fair.

Disqualifications for medication have been an embarrassment for several medal winners in the past two Olympic equestrian competitions.

Allowing medications may be objectionable to some of the largest sponsors of horse sport events in some countries and on the global level. Event organizers will be holding their breath.

Below, in red type, is the official statement from the FEI on this vote and the bigger impact of its "Clean Sport" initiative.

The new rules take effect in January, unless some extraordinary action prevents it, and will mean that medication will be allowed at the AllTech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky next fall.

At Kentucky, the world's horses will be competing at the highest level for the first time on medication, making that a more historic event than any of us could ever have imagined.

In a landmark moment for equestrian sport, the FEI General Assembly today voted overwhelmingly in favour of new Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations which will ensure the welfare of the horse and guarantee a fair playing field. A series of far reaching recommendations – part of the Clean Sport Campaign led by the Ljungqvist and Stevens Commissions – were also adopted by a massive majority amongst the 105 National Federations represented in Copenhagen.

Delegates also approved in a close vote a new Prohibited Substances List itemising more than 1000 substances not allowed in competition. The adoption of the so-called “Progressive List” now permits in-competition use of a limited number of medications under strictly prescribed limits.

FEI President HRH Princess Haya thanked the delegates on behalf of the sport for their support of the Clean Sport Campaign. “This is a true landmark moment in the history of our sport,” HRH Princess Haya commented. “The overwhelming support of the National Federations for the Clean Sport Campaign is proof that we are moving in the right direction thanks to the incredible work done by the Ljungqvist and Stevens Commissions. This vote has given us the power to roll out Clean Sport and allow us to restore the public image of our sport as a clean and uncorrupt product.”

The Clean Sport Campaign is the result of a year-long consultation process which has brought together the viewpoints and expertise of the entire FEI Family and the professional recommendations of the Commissions led by Prof. Arne Ljungqvist, chairman of the IOC Medical Commission and vice president of the World Anti Doping Agency, and Lord Stevens, formed Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

Professor Ljungqvist said, “Ultimately it was down to the equestrian community to make the final decision and they have voted in support of the package as a whole. The two Commissions have put in an enormous amount of work to come up with these recommendations and it is particularly gratifying that we have received such overwhelming support for the Clean Sport Campaign from the National Federations.”

Lord Stevens stated afterwards, “We said yesterday that the FEI needed to adopt these recommendations before it could be given a clean bill of health. They have been approved by a massive majority and now the sport can move forward.”

Voting Facts and Figures:

Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations: 95 in favour, 5 against
105 NFs represented (101 participated, 100 valid, 1 abstention)

Commissions Recommendations: 90 in favour, 8 against
103 NFs represented (100 participated, 99 valid, 1 abstention)

Lists of Prohibited Substances: 53 in favour of Progressive List, 48 in favour of other List
105 NFs represented (102 participated, 101 valid, 1 abstention)

FEI Veterinary Regulations: 86 in favour, 9 against
105 NFs represented (102 participated, 95 valid, 7 abstentions)

Shedding Season: Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and the End of the Midnight Horse Laundry Caper

Champion show jumper Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum wants the horse world to know that she and Markus use Miele industrial-strength washing machines. But do international show jumpers even get a chance to get as dirty as a backyard horse? (Miele photo)

When I drive by my local laundromat, the sign "NO HORSE BLANKETS" is written in such huge letters that I can read it without slowing down. Before you even get inside, you have been warned that you will be prosecuted if you put horse-related items in any washer or dryer.

Shrunken heads or scalps of offending grooms and stablehands may as well hang from the ceiling. "Horse" is a four-letter word in America's laundromats.

Of course, that doesn't stop a lot of people, especially for small items like leg wraps and saddlecloths...Not to mention their own clothes, which usually have more horse hair on them than the horses' clothes do. And they usually sneak in at midnight, when no one's around.

So when I received two press announcements almost simultaneously about horse-product laundering, I was sure that the Horse-Hating Laundromat Owners of America were really cracking down. But it turned out that these are two product announcements that prove my theory about how challenged rank-and-file horse owners are with keeping all those horse clothes clean.

Manufacturer's claim: saddle pads and horse blankets will no longer get wet or dirty. (Nanotechnology photo)

Nanotechnology is a dog-products manufacturer ready to break into the horse market. They will soon be offering dirt-proof turnout and stable blankets, sheets, and saddle pads. I'd love to be the public relations firm for these blankets and challenge horses to get them dirty. Testing these products would be fun and I am sure that my local laundromat owner is really hoping that they catch on!

Learn more at www.doggonesmartbed.com. Maybe I should have my house and car (and self) upholstered in their fabric!

Horseowner's Ancient Wisdom: Buy a horse a new turnout blanket and rolling becomes compulsory, regardless of the weather...or how much you paid for the blanket

The second news had some star-quality intrigue. Miele, makers of industrial-strength and oh-so-Euro-designed washing machines, offered a behind-the-scenes photo tour of Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum's lovely home in Germany. This promo is testament to the celebrity status of riders in Europe compared to America. The tour ends in the stable, where we see that she and Markus have two industrial-strength washers ready to launder the endless supply of coolers they keep winning.

Click here for a mini slide-show tour of Meredith's farm in Germany; click here to download the Miele horse laundry brochure.

Hats off to Meredith for endorsing a company that makes a product we'd all like to own (and no doubt, some lucky readers already do). I hope Miele keeps a presence in the horse world and helps us all clean up our act!