Editorial
Dear friends and colleagues, we can start this newsletter with exciting breaking news: As November 15, Dr. Lies de Backer (BEL) has started to work in our department. Dr. De Backer will work as Veterinary Coordinator and will be dealing mostly with the day-to-day incoming issues. Lies graduated in July 2005 from the Ghent University and has been in the equine circuit for most of her life. We welcome her in our department and hope that this will create a more balanced situation between ongoing issues on the table and the speed at which we can deal with them.
Parallel to this, the Veterinary offices in the FEI building moved one floor down and are now adjacent to the Legal department, with which we collaborate on a continuing basis. Speaking of legal issues, the 2006 WEG saw a record number of horses tested (n=76), of which 74 have tested negative. While on testing issues, the Bureau meeting has made an important decision with regard to positives for caffeine. Most of you who have witnessed (part of) the WEG on television will agree that this was an outstanding event: the veterinarians present in Aachen agreed that, in spite of one fatality in Endurance, the WEG presented highlights for the sport that will be hard to equal.

Frits Sluyter, Head of the FEI Veterinary Department


World Equestrian Games

The 2006 WEG in Aachen (GER) will probably go down in history as the most successful WEG ever. An immaculate organisation for most of the disciplines resulted in very exciting competitions. For Jumping, Dressage and Driving we are more or less used to that in Aachen, but seeing 50.000 spectators come together at night to watch a Dressage final on music is nevertheless something we may not often experience. Eventing proved to be of the highest quality and the cross-country, during which the weather suddenly decided to help and ridden over a beautiful course, did not see any serious accidents. For the ones who did not know that music and equestrian go very well together, the Vaulting stadium was an eye-opener. This electrifying competition sounded like a continuing rock-concert and could be heard over the complete competition venue. Reining picked up the pace during the Horse Inspection and the competition was as exciting as could be expected. Endurance was extremely unlucky with the weather and, in spite of completion and elimination rates within the usual standards, the death of one horse, several days after serious tying-up early in the ride, casted a shadow over this championship.

From a veterinary perspective all was very well organised. Dr. Hanbüecken had assembled a first-class veterinary team, while the clinic and equipment available were state-of-the-art. The Veterinary Commissions had an extremely high level of experience and no unexpected issues occurred.
As stated before, 76 horses were tested of which 74 were negative. The two positive results are being followed up through the regulatory channels.
Another issue was the stabling for Endurance and Driving. These horses were stabled in temporary stables and an almost continuing downpour changed this part of the venue into a small river at some point. It took the Organiser many hours and huge loads of sand to get control of the situation and return the competition spirit at the riders.

Asian Games

The organisation of the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar gives reason for concern. At the moment of writing this newsletter the Games are less than 2 months away and the event preparations far behind schedule. The issues of temporary importation of horses (and subsequent return) from a number of countries in Asia has finally been resolved; however, the construction of an emergency clinic, testing facilities and appointment of veterinarians are far from complete. The Games will comprise four disciplines: Jumping, Dressage, Eventing and Endurance, of which the latter two require emergency facilities that can handle emergencies if and when they come up. Any updates regarding the situation will probably be issued through the FEI Press News, as this is being published weekly.

Veterinary Regulations

For your information, the printed version of the Veterinary Regulations is available from the FEI. However, we would advise you to use the web-version if you wish to be fully updated. For example, in the list of substances for which elective testing can take place, boldenone and heparin had been listed in error and were recently removed from the web-version of the rules. This however could not be done in the printed version, so once more our advice is: ‘stay close, stay webbed’.
While on the regulations, in one of the test follow-up procedures the issue of procain-penicillin again came up and the defense argued that it was not sufficiently known that all antibiotics can be given with the exception of procain-penicillin. Once again, the latter product can lead to procain positives with a very variable detection time. In other words, do not use procain-penicillin in competition horses that may be subject to testing!


The FEI has published, several months ago, recommended detection times for the following medicine box substances: Phenylbutazone, Flunixin, Ketoprofen, Dipyrone and Dembrexine. The substances detomidine and mepivacaine will be added this week. Further work on corticosteroids (intravenous, intra-articular) is in progress at this moment and hopefully will be available soon. The research samples have been produced and their analysis and statistical review will be carried out as soon as possible. To avoid any misunderstandings: the recommendations relate to Detection Times: a Withdrawal Time is the advice by the Treating Veterinarian, taking into account the published DT and allowing for a horse-specific safety margin. The FEI does not advice on WTs.

Guidelines for Equine Influenza

The new bi-annual influenza vaccination rules and the rationale behind them is developing gradually. At the moment, there are only two concrete requirements: There must be a record of a primary course at some point and the horse must have been vaccinated within 6 months prior to event entry. When a horse is not competing, it should at least be vaccinated annually (as was always the case). New primary courses are only to be considered when there is no record of a primary in the passport.

Pony Measurement

The FEI Bureau Meeting (Nov 17-18) has had an extended discussion on Pony Measurement. As most of you know, there are a number of overheight ponies competing in the circuit. The limit for a pony is 1.48 without shoes and 1.49 shod. A number of Pony rule revisions were effectuated a few years ago in an attempt to keep the competition fair in this respect. Currently, there is consensus in the FEI Bureau that this practise must end now. One of the possible changes that was discussed is measurement on site and it may well be possible that soon we will see ponies being measured at the competition venue. The regulatory and practical consequences of this approach are currently being reviewed within FEI headquarters.

Caffeine

The Bureau also made an important decision in regard to positive test results for caffeine and its metabolites. This substance has been a challenge to the FEI for some time. Caffeine positives can be caused by intentional administration, but are also often the result of feed contaminations. Considering the fact that many FEI events are ‘rolled up’ when the event is finished, tracing a possible contamination back to an Organising Committee, Event Venue or Event Feed proves very complicated. In addition, the impact of caffeine as a performance enhancing, welfare threatening or sports compromising substance is not very clear. In summary, the resources required to process caffeine cases are not proportional to its perceived threat to the sport, and systematic prosecution of such cases is not always appropriate given the circumstances. In parallel to the current discussions in and the position of WADA, the Bureau has decided to put caffeine on a ‘monitoring’ list and will therefore not currently perform a judicial follow up of positive test results for this substance; the latter also applies to the related substances theophylline and theobromine. The laboratory will continue to report positives to the FEI and their estimated concentrations will be recorded to better discern trends in the pervasiveness of the substance, and to ensure the best policy for this substance in the future.

Vet course, Geneva (SUI) 6-8 December

The Veterinary Department is pleased to announce that an FEI event Vet Course will be, for the first time, organised in Geneva during the CSI-W/CAI-W. The course will be followed by forty veterinarians coming from all around the world. Thanks to the collaboration of the organising committee, the participants will have the opportunity to immerge themselves in the atmosphere and in the logistics of a world class event organised in the world’s biggest indoor arena.

Practical experience – held on the grounds of CSI-W Geneva and permitting to the vets to attend the horse Inspection of the Jumping and Driving horses –will be combined with a theoretical approach to veterinary management during FEI competitions based on the FEI regulations.
We are looking forward to spending these days in Geneva and thank the organising committee for giving the FEI this unique opportunity.


Some useful lynx

2006 World Equestrian Games, Aachen (GER)
http://www.aachen2006.de/default_e.htm
The official website of the 2006 World Equestrian Games

2008 Olympic Games, Beijing(CHN)
http://fr.beijing-2008.org/
The official website of the BEIJING2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Equine Veterinary Journal
http://www.evj.co.uk/
The journal of the Equine Veterinary Profession

The Horse
http://www.thehorse.com/
The latest news and in-depth veterinarian-approved articles on equine health care.

European Ongoing initiatives
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/index_en.htm

Office International des Epizooties
http://www.oie.int/eng/en_index.htm
World Organisation for Animal Health

International League for the Protection of Horses
http://www.ilph.org/

BCM
http://www.bcm.nl/
BCM consists of two important business units: publishing and event management.

National Equine Welfare Council
http://www.newc.co.uk

Fédération Equestre Internationale
Veterinary Department
Av. Mon-Repos 24
1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
t.+41 21 310 47 47
f.+41 21 310 47 60
e. n.wittek@horsesport.org
w. www.horsesport.org