Following concerns about lack of drug regulations at some competitions, and the particularly high profile death of a hunter pony named Humble in May at Devon, the USEF has released some new rules for the administration of medications at any USEF recognized competition. These new regulations will begin on December 1st of 2013, and were discussed at the Town Hall Meeting for horse welfare back in June.
USEF Release:
1. No injectable substances may be administered to any horse or pony within 12 hours prior to competing, with the following three exceptions subject to paragraph 2 below:
a. Therapeutic fluids, which amount must consist of a minimum of 10L of polyionic fluids; and which must be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and guidelines. The fluids must not be supplemented with concentrated electrolytes, such as magnesium.
b. Antibiotics. Procaine penicillin G is prohibited under this exception.
c. Dexamethasone. This is permitted only for the treatment of acute urticaria(hives). The dose must not exceed 0.5 mg per 100lb (5.0 mg for 1000lb horse) if administered more than 6 hours and less than 12 hours prior to entering the competition ring, and must not exceed 1.0 mg per 100lb (10.0 mg for 1000lb horse) within any 24-hour period.
2. The above exceptions are permitted only when (i) the substance is administered by a licensed veterinarian and no less than six hours prior to competing; and (ii) the “Trainer” as defined under General Rule 404 properly files, or causes to be properly filed, an Equine Drugs and Medications Report Form with the Steward/Technical Delegate or competition office representative within one hour after the administration of the substance or one hour after the Steward/Technical Delegate or competition office representative returns to duty if the administration occurs at a time outside competition hours. The Steward/Technical Delegate or competition office representative shall sign and record the time of receipt on the Equine Drugs and Medications Report Form.
I, for one, am hopeful that this is a step in the right direction for our equestrian sports. Not only was it shameful that a pony competing at Devon was scheduled to receive 15 different medications in three days, but it was terrible for horse sports to gain notoriety through such a negative filter. These new rules not only forbid any sorts of medications immediately leading up the show ring, but also keep the injections only in the hands of vets, which I believe will help curb the inclination of trainers or riders to casually medicate their horses.
While we can never fully prevent or legislate proper behavior when it comes to medications, I think that the USEF is taking the right step towards a more wholesome and true competitive equine nation. As riders, we should always take the horse’s welfare first, but occasionally there are those who are blinkered by ribbons and awards, and forget why we all started, which was for the love of a horse.
