Qatar: New prohibited substances cases under FEI anti-doping rules

FEI.org

14 Feb 2017

The FEI has today announced three new adverse analytical findings involving prohibited substances at two FEI Endurance events.

Three horses competing in Endurance events at Doha, Mesaieed (QAT) have all tested positive to Diisopropylamine, a vasodilator used in the treatment of peripheral and cerebral vascular disorders. These are the first cases involving the use of Diisopropylamine, which is a Banned Substance under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).

Two horses, R S Nube Blanca (FEI ID 104DP13/ARG/QAT), ridden by Gaje Singh Hari Singh (FEI ID 10113174/IND) in a CEI2* 120-kilometre event at Mesaieed on 19 November 2016, and Acqua Vela (FEI ID 104PE12/QAT), ridden by Maryam Ahmad S A Al Boinin (FEI ID 10115570/QAT) to win the CEIYJ1* 90-kilometre event on the same day, were tested on the day of the event. The third horse, Tarifa (FEI ID POR02414/QAT) was ridden by Mattar Said Khalfan Al Saadi (FEI ID 10146908/OMA) to win the CEI1* 80 on 7 January 2017 at Mesaieed. Samples were taken from Tarifa on the day of the event.

All three athletes have been provisionally suspended from the date of notification (8 February 2017). The three horses have also been provisionally suspended for a period of two months.

As trainer of both the Qatari horses, R S Nube Blanca and Acqua Vela, Waleed Said Khalfan Al Saa'di (FEI ID 10113272/QAT) has also been provisionally suspended.

Details on these cases are available here.

One More CI in Dubai President's Cup; 77 of 205 Horses Complete Race

February 11 2017

The HH President of the UAE Endurance Cup FEI CEI 3* 160-km endurance race at the Emirates International Endurance Village, Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, concluded today with 77 finishers from 205 starters.

The 8-year-old gelding Dr Indio, ridden by the UAE's Mohammed Humaid Saeed Amer Al Neyadi, was listed as "Catastrophic Injury" on loop 4, bringing to 12 the recorded horse deaths in the UAE this season. Live feed from the FEI 3*** ride clearly shows crewing on course, cars on track, and some extremely underweight horses competing.

UAE swept 8 of the top ten spots, with Saeed Mohammed Kahlifa Al Mehairi winning aboard Shaddad in a scorching 6 hours 20 minutes and 51 seconds.

All top ten riders were awarded cars, and it is reported that all finishers received 25,000 Euros.**

**this is reported though as yet unconfirmed

Strong field for UAE President Endurance Cup

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Published: 18:05 February 10, 2017
Staff Report

Abu Dhabi: As many as 240 riders will be vying for honour in the prestigious HH The President of the UAE Endurance Cup, which will be held on Saturday, at the Emirates International Endurance Village, Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi.

One of the most prestigious rides in the world, it will be run over a distance of 160km over six loops of 40km, 33km, 24km, 23km, 20km and 20km respectively.

Riders from Algeria, Bahrain, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain and Slovakia will compete with a strong team representing the UAE...

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/strong-field-for-uae-president-endurance-cup-1.1976303

Equestrian Australia Urges FEI to Address Endurance Horse Welfare Issues in UAE

February 6 2017

Addressing the ongoing endurance horse welfare issues in the UAE, Equestrian Australia's Endurance Committee has sent a letter to the FEI urging immediate actions.

EA favors not shutting down endurance in the UAE, because there would be no rules at all to protect horse welfare, particularly if an alternate endurance organization was developed, as has been discussed in the UAE.

The Endurance Committee urges the FEI to immediately address the speed at which endurance horses travel during competition and the suspected practice of nerve-blocking horses. In addition, they suggest the mandatory and immediate implementation of lowered heart rates and shorter present times.

The entire letter can be read here.

Germany Addresses FEI Regarding Endurance Horse Welfare

February 4 2017

The German Endurance Federation sent a letter to the FEI regarding international endurance horse welfare issues.

The letter states:

"We- the Association of German Endurance Riders and Endurance Horse Drivers, Verein Deutscher Distanzreiter und -Fahrer e.V. – hereby disassociate ourselves from every incident connected with endurance rides in which our equine partner is not treated strictly according to the basic standards of animal welfare.

We urge the FEI, using every available means, that all respective incidents worldwide are thoroughly investigated and that the resulting findings are immediately made public and that strict penalties are imposed on those responsible.

It is of paramount importance that endurance riding and animal welfare go hand in hand if we are to ensure the future of our sport."

The letter can be seen here:
http://www.vdd-aktuell.de/

Norway Boycotts Group 7 Endurance Rides

8 February 2017

On the basis of a number of negative events in the UAE over the past four weeks with several doping cases and deaths among horses, and stating that horse welfare is of primary concern,
the NRYF (Norwegian Federation) has announced that beginning today, Norwegian endurance riders will not compete in any Group 7 countries.

The Danish and the Swedish federations announced the same decision over the previous day.

Read the full text here:
http://www.hestesport.no/web.aspx?page=105234&newsarticle=55749

Statement from Endurance GB and the BEF regarding welfare concerns in the UAE

08 February 2017

The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) and Endurance GB (EGB) have jointly written to the FEI to express their profound concerns about the further catastrophic incidents to horses competing in the UAE and to call on the FEI to take firm and prompt action to address the recurrence of chronic injuries and unacceptable practices at both Dubai and Al Wathba venues.

EGB have also made it clear that they will not be submitting entries to the forthcoming HH President of the UAE Cup and the Crown Prince Cup in the light of these concerns. In addition, EGB will be writing to British riders based in the Middle East to urge them not to take part in events in Dubai and Al Wathba until confidence in the welfare procedures in place has been restored. EGB is currently considering withdrawing ‘No Objection Certificates’ from those who do intend to compete.

The BEF and EGB recognises the efforts of Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nayhan and the FEI to improve horse welfare in Endurance events through the development of the ‘Boudheib’ protocols where efforts have been made to tailor competition to the challenging natural terrain and environment, and to protect horses from the their impact by prescribing speed and recovery parameters with these in mind. We believe there is the scope for these to be adopted more broadly in the Middle East and in similarly stretching geographies. There is also a need for greater scrutiny of training practices and the degree to which these contribute to the development of pre-existing conditions which lead to chronic injuries in competition.  

We recognise that the FEI is taking steps to investigate these extremely distressing events, and to develop measures to address the issues leading to them in the interests of equine welfare. With this in mind, we support their efforts to work with the UAE Federation as a force for change, rather than to separate from them. Nonetheless we believe a visible and decisive step needs to be taken in banning riders and trainers found to be involved in malpractices as a demonstration that these will not be tolerated and that equine welfare is of paramount concern in sustainable competition.