MEMO

To: National Federations
From: Alexander McLin, Head, Legal Department
Frits Sluyter, Head, Veterinary Department
Pages: 1
Date: 14 October 2005
Re: Draft Veterinary Regulations and
Equine Anti-Doping and Medication Control
Rules

Dear Members,

Further to the FEI’s ongoing efforts in the pursuit of horse welfare and the fight against doping in our sport, we are providing you with two documents for your information and potential comments.

Further to the General Assembly’s acceptance of the recommendations presented by the FEI Task Force on Doping and Medication Policy and together with the expertise received from the Task Force members, Veterinary Committee, Judicial Committee, Medication Advisory Group and colleagues, we have created a set of Equine Anti-Doping and Medication Control Rules (the "Rules") with the goal of providing a single body of rules for matters relating to doping and medication control.

As a result, operative provisions on anti-doping and medication control have been integrated into the Rules, and the Veterinary Regulations have been modified accordingly. The Veterinary Regulations continue to be the source of instructions governing the treatment and monitoring of horses in the context of FEI events.
The Rules are somewhat different in format, in large part due to the intent to adopt terminology compatible with the World Anti-Doping Code where appropriate.

These documents will be presented to the FEI Bureau for approval at its next meeting on 6-8 December 2005. If accepted, they will become applicable as of 1 January 2005.

Please note that these documents remain drafts and that while we expect that the texts presented to the Bureau will be substantially in conformance therewith, modifications may occur before then.

Comments on the Veterinary Regulations should be addressed to Frits Sluyter (f.sluyter@horsesport.org), and comments on the Rules should be addressed to Alex McLin (a.mclin@horsesport.org). Should you have any comments on either document, please provide them to the FEI Secretariat by Wednesday 30 November 2005 at the latest.

Yours sincerely,

                   

VETERINARY REGULATIONS
10th edition effective 1st January 2006

Fédération Equestre
Internationale
Avenue Mon-Repos 24
1005 Lausanne
Switzerland

t +41 21 310 47 47
f +41 21 310 47 60
e info@horsesport.org
www.horsesport.org

Printed in Switzerland/Imprimé en Suisse Copyright © 2006 Fédération Equestre Internationale
Reproduction strictly reserved/Reproduction strictement réservée

 

CONTENTS
  Articles Pages
Foreword   4
Code of Conduct for the Welfare of the Horse   4
Official Start & Duration of an FEI Event   5
Chapter I – GENERAL
Principles 1000 6
Alterations to the Veterinary Regulations 1001 7
Chapter II – VETERINARIANS
Contact Veterinarians 1002 8
Categories of Veterinarians during Events 1003 8
Chapter III – HEALTH AND HYGIENE
Responsibilities of National Federations 1004 11
Responsibilities of Organising Committees 1005 12
Responsibilities of Persons Responsible for horses 1006 13
Chapter IV – VETERINARY CONTROL AT INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
Veterinary Delegates at International and National Event 1007 15
Veterinary Commissions at Official International Events,
Cup Finals, Championships and Games 		1008 15
Responsibilities of Veterinary Commissions/Delegates 1009 16
Horse Passports 1010 18
Veterinary Examinations, Horse Inspections and Passport Control 1011 20
Special Arrangements for Eventing, Driving and Endurance Events 1012 31
Chapter V – ANTI-DOPING AND MEDICATION CONTROL
Foreword
Responsibility and Notice to Persons Responsible		 1013 33
Chapter VI – SAMPLING PROCEDURE AND ANALYSIS GUIDELINES FOR
DOPING AND MEDICATION CONTROL
Introduction 1014 34
Identification of Horses 1015 34
Selection of Horses 1016 34
Timing of Sample Collection 1017 35
Protocol for Sampling 1018 35
Urine and Blood Collection 1019 36
Treatment of Samples 1020 37
Approved Laboratories 1021 37
Guidelines for Analysis under the Equine Anti-Doping and
Medication Control Rules		 1022 37
Costs of Analysis 1023 38
Desensitised and Hypersensitised Limbs 1024 38
Elective Testing 1025 39
Chapter VII – TREATMENT OF HORSES WHILE UNDER FEI REGULATIONS
Treatment with a prohibited Substance 1026 40
Alternative treatment of Horses at FEI Events 1027 40
Declaration of Treatment with Altrenogest (Regumate) 1028 40
Authorisation for the use of Medication not on the List of
Prohibited Substances (I.E. Rehydration Fluids,Oxygen, Antibiotics)		 1029 41

 

FOREWORD

This edition of the Veterinary Regulations (VRs) is effective from 1st January 2006 and supersedes all previous editions and other official documents. Please remember that these Regulations must be read in conjunction with the Statutes,General and Special Regulations and discipline Rules.

In the past, the Veterinary Regulations have included extracts of relevant discipline rules as annexes. However, please note that disciplines may change their rules at different times, which means that these annexes may not always be the current ones. Since the rules are also available on the FEI Website (www.horsesport.org), extracts from discipline rules will no longer be annexed to the Veterinary Regulations, with the exception of the Pony Measurement ones and relevant articles from the General Regulations. However, the most recent version of the Veterinary Regulations and specific annexes of importance to Veterinary Delegates (e.g. Art 1011) are available on the web site: http://www.horsesport.org/FEI/fei_04_02.html.


THE FEI CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE WELFARE OF THE HORSE

The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) expects all those involved in international equestrian sport to adhere to the FEI’s Code of Conduct and to acknowledge and accept that at all times the welfare of the horse must be paramount and must never be subordinated to competitive or commercial influences.

1. At all stages during the preparation and training of competition horses, welfare must take precedence over all other demands. This includes good horse management, training methods, farriery and tack, and transportation.

2. Horses and competitors must be fit, competent and in good health before they are allowed to compete. This encompasses medication use, surgical procedures that threaten welfare or safety, pregnancy in mares and the misuse of aids.

3. Events must not prejudice horse welfare. This involves paying careful attention to the competition areas, ground surfaces, weather conditions, stabling, site safety and fitness of the horse for onward travel after the event.

4. Every effort must be made to ensure that horses receive proper attention after they have competed and that they are treated humanely when their competition careers are over. This covers proper veterinary care, competition injuries, euthanasia and retirement.

5. The FEI urges all involved with the sport to attain the highest levels of education in their areas of expertise.


OFFICIAL START & DURATION OF AN FEI EVENT

The period of an event commences one hour before the beginning of the first Horse Inspection and terminates, so far as each discipline is concerned, half an DRAFT 14.10.2005 hour after the announcement of the final results in that discipline, unless the schedule provides otherwise. In the Olympic Games the period of an event coincides with the Olympic Sojourn as established by the IOC. (Article 101, paragraph 5, FEI General Regulations).

For the Endurance discipline, horses which enter the Best Condition Award are deemed to be still in the competition until after the Best Condition prize giving ceremony.