FEI backtracks over bute and delays rule implementation to 5 April

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Abigail Butcher, H&H head of news
1 December, 2009

New rules allowing painkillers like bute to be used on horses during competition will not come into force until next April.

The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has backtracked on the plans following worldwide uproar over the new rules, due to come into force on 1 January 2010.

Instead, the new Equine Prohibited Substance List and the accompanying regulations — which allow bute, aspirin and flunixin, along with several other equine drugs to be used in competition — will come in on 5 April 2010.

Announcing the delay this afternoon, FEI president Princess Haya said:...

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Bahrain: Riders set for endurance test

Gulf-daily-news.com

Monday, November 30, 2009


BAHRAIN Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa approved the programme of Saturday's 100-km Endurance Horse Ride Championship at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The event, which is the third this season, will be organised by Breef and is sponsored by Swiss Bahrain Holding Company.

The veterinary examinations are set for Saturday between 3.30am to 5am at the village's veterinary area in Sakhir.

The 100-km ride will then begin at 5.30am while the two qualifying rides, which are over 85 kms and 60 kms, will start at 6am.

Registration for the event opens today at Breef and will continue until race day.

Those who wish to follow up the progress of all three rides may log in to Al Fursan's webiste www.alfurrsan.com.

Shaikh Khalid earlier announced that the winner of the 100-km ride would be awarded a grand prize of an SUV four-wheel drive.

He said that the previous races and qualifying events held in recent weeks revealed the immense talent and capabilities of Bahrain's riders and the care they receive from their respective stables.

Meanwhile, the veterinary and ground jury committees were formed. Breef's general secretary Ghalib Al Alawi was chosen head of the ground jury committee.

Other committee members are Abdulsamad Al Busta, Mahdi Al Klaiti, Ali Ghuloom, Fahad Al Rumaihi and foreign commissioner Haider Al Zu'bi of Jordan.

International commissioners for Saturday's rides are Mahmood Abdulsaheb and technical representative Mohammed Dadulla.

The veterinary committee is being headed by Breef's assistant general secretary Dr Khalid Ahmed Hassan while Saudi Arabia's Dr Mohammed Al Hammad is the foreign veterinarian representative.

Veterinary clinic and laboratory includes Dr Farida Abdulrazzaq of Bahrain, Dr Milo Canabo of the Dominican Republic, Mirghani Jilani of Bahrain, Ahmed Dhaif of Bahrain and Stefan Banks of France.

New Zealand: Endurance riders hit the beach

Horsetalk.co.nz - Article, Photos, and Results

November 30, 2009

Nine-year-old Jorja James stole the show on her classy endurance pony Glenvar Kit Kat at the Mount Linton Endurance Club's ride at Sandy Point yesterday.

The combination, which has been together only since Easter this year, had an impressive completion in the 80km Open Junior ride, winning the division and Kit Kat also taking out the best conditioned junior horse title.

Run over two 40km loops, the course took riders along the surf and sand at Oreti Beach and through forestry and river-side tracks.

Damp and windy conditions cleared to leave a good riding temperature and no horses suffered any metabolic stresses.

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Spain: 2010 V Raid Kaliber Tierras de al-Andalus

www.tierrasdeal-andalus.com



Las etapas para el V Raid Kaliber Tierras de al-Andalus han sido anunciados. Las fechas son 10 al 18 de abril.

The V Raid Kaliber Tierras de al-Andalus stages. It will be from 10th to 18th of April.

Etapas/Stages:

• 1st etapa/stage, 10 de abril: Cazorla-Ubeda
• 2nd etapa/stage, 11 de abril: Linares-Andujar
• 3rd etapa/stage, 12 de abril: Andujar-Montoro
• 4th etapa/stage, 13 de abril: Montoro- Cordoba
• 14 de abril: Descanso y traslado a Palma del Rio (rest and transfer)
• 5th etapa/stage, 15 de abril: Palma del Rio-Carmona
• 6th etapa/stage, 16 de abril: Carmona-Dos Hermanas
• 7th etapa/stage, 17 de abril: Italica (Santiponce)-El Rocio
• 8th etapa/stage, 18 de abril: El Rocio-Sanlucar de Bda.

FEI president Princess Haya defends controversial drug rule

Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article
By Pippa Cuckson
Published: 6:24PM GMT 27 Nov 2009

The levels at which controversial anti-inflammatories can be tolerated in equine sport were advised by team vets from Germany and USA, two of the federations that spoke against them, it has emerged.

In a letter defending last week's vote by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), its president HRH Princess Haya stressed the right of the majority to decide - the substances were approved by 53-48, with most European federations voting against.

Princess Haya said the levels were in line with those applied for non-steroidal anti inflammatory (NSAID) use in humans by the World Anti Doping Agency and had been advised by "experienced national team veterinarians".

The aim was to enable supervised treatment no more than 12 hours before competition so that the medication was 'performance restoring' rather than 'performance enhancing'.

Europe, which organises 80 per cent of world equestrian sport, has damned the move.

Princess Haya was replying to a letter from Prof Leo Jeffcott and other distinguished international veterinary surgeons who urged a re-think on the FEI's newly approved "progressive" medications list which they feared would lead to horse abuse.

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FEI painkillers rules contradicts their research in 2004

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Charlotte White, H&H deputy news editor
26 November, 2009

Horse & Hound has uncovered paperwork that shows the International Equestrian Federation's (FEI) decision to allow horses to compete on painkillers is in direct contradiction to research they undertook five years ago.

At the 2004 FEI General Assembly national federations agreed to cut the allowable level of salicylates (asprin) from the level they are now proposing because they believed it was open to abuse by "topping up".

In the release from 2004 the FEI says: "The 2004 FEI General Assembly agreed to change the threshold for salicylates, in line with the proposals submitted by the Veterinary Committee.

"The previous thresholds for salicylates were 750 µg/ml in urine and 6.5 µg/ml in plasma. Experiences in testing had indicated that abuse of salicylates was possible, obtaining a clinical effect in the horse by administration of low doses without exceeding the threshold."

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British vets say bute in competition will lead to 'catastrophic injuries'

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Abigail Butcher, H&H head of news
25 November, 2009

Leading equine vets in Britain have slammed a decision to allow horses to compete on painkillers. They say using bute on a competition horse could lead to "catastrophic injuries".

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) says the International Equestrian Federation's (FEI) decision to allow six medications in competition is an "extremely retrograde step for horse welfare".

"This decision obscures the distinction between therapy and subjecting unsound horses to the stresses of competition," said a statement from the group of leading horse vets.

"Furthermore, we have grave concerns that horses competing while under treatment with pain-relieving medicines, are at an increased risk of musculo-skeletal lesions progressing to catastrophic injuries."

As part of its so-called "clean sport programme" the FEI decided last week to allow six substances — many of which are painkilling — to be used during competition.

Before that, the FEI has always had a "zero tolerance" policy on drugs in sport, and the about-turn caused outrage.

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