Ever since the controversial Fédération Equestre Internationale General Assembly vote last November to legalize a number of formerly banned therapeutic substances, the FEI has been engaged in a lively debate over which drugs, particularly non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, should be included on the Equine Prohibited Substances list.

Following last month’s FEI Congress on NSAIDs and further discussion of the issues, the FEI List Group has proposed an Equine Prohibited Substances list for 2011, which they hope will respect horse welfare and ensure a level playing field.

The List Group made a distinction between the use of NSAIDs during competition and between competitions. With the exception of salicylic acid—which they’ve proposed raising the current threshold to harmonize it with that of other international regulators—the List Group has unanimously concluded that the science available from the few limited studies carried out to date on the use of NSAIDs is contradictory. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence for allowing levels of NSAIDs in competition.

As a result, the List Group has proposed a list of prohibited substances that does not allow NSAIDs in competition, but does allow post-competition usage of certain NSAIDs, specifically phenylbutazone and flunixin, in low dosages between competitions for the wellbeing of the horse. However, these medications should neither be detectable nor affect the performance or welfare of the horse at its next competition.

The List Group members agreed that there must always be a balance between required rest and medication, ensuring that there is a good approach to management and training, rather than relying on medication to effect a recovery.

The FEI Executive Board has reviewed the issues involved and will recommend the adoption of the List Group’s proposed list to the General Assembly and the Bureau, in the knowledge that such an approach would also be compatible with certain national laws that may have restricted a different approach.

The national federations have now received the statistical data necessary to make a fully-informed choice on whether to accept or reject the proposed 2011 Equine Prohibited Substances List when it is put to the vote at the FEI General Assembly in Chinese Taipei, Nov. 1-6. If the 2011 List isn’t approved, the 2010 List presently in effect would remain in use for another year.