Flat out, here is the most informative article that has been published during the bute FEI turmoil. We are glad to work with horsetalk.co.nz, and they did a great job on this one. They have also published a full prohibited substances list.
Also in the news, a Belgian vet supported Princess Haya in a recent letter supporting the FEI’s progressive list. A few quotes from the letter and my take on them:
“The German Federation in particular has done our sport a disservice over the past number of years by behaving in an ill-considered and unbalanced manner towards any rider suspected of doping. Instead of standing up for its riders and taking mitigating circumstances into account, instead of explaining to the public that there is a difference between doping and a positive medication finding, they would without fail start hacking around with their battle-axe, causing several people to be undeservedly condemned and hung and quartered by the press.” My Take: Right, it would have been much, much better for equestrian sport if the German Federation had let their riders off the hook and explained to the public that their horses were contaminated because a vet touched a broom handle, which touched a groom, who touched a horse, because that’s what happened…right? That strategy worked great for baseball, right up until the sport was crippled by the steroid controversy.
The fact that Princess Haya has had the courage to submit two lists for voting proves that she is not led by rabble-rousing and false sentiments, but that she, as FEI President, knows what is going on in her sport...On behalf of the horse, thank you Princess Haya!” My take: I’m going to just let that last sentence go, but one thing that is clear to me over the past week is that the FEI leadership does not know what is going on in equestrian sport. Mismanagement regarding the vote, preventing a revote, and the long silence by the FEI after the vote all indicate arrogance and detachment by the FEI leadership.
The letter also claims that the permitted levels are not related to doping, which disagrees with the FEI’s own findings in 2004. There have been some very eloquent and persuasive defenses of the progressive list, but this letter is not one of them. That said, the letter has some informative points about the allowed drugs and I am being too harsh. I would suggest reading it.
