The U.S. Equestrian Federation’s board of directors has approved additions to the prohibited substances rule. The rule additions, which were approved last week during the organization’s annual meeting, will go into effect April 1.

The additions, GR 414.8 and 414.9, ban certain injectable medications and other potential deadly substances not just from being used in competition but from being brought onto show grounds. The list of substances includes including formaldehyde, oxytocin and pentobarbital, with an exception for veterinarians to use the latter in euthanasia.

An early draft of the proposed rule change received pushback from a number of breed and discipline groups over concerns that one line item stipulated all injectable medication bear a label prescribing them to a specific horse. The USEF Veterinary Committee took feedback from groups and individual members to rework that line. The approved version of the rule drops references requiring medications be prescribed to a particular horse or person, and instead it now stipulates that any injectable prescription medications brought onto show grounds must bear a label from the manufacturer or compounding pharmacy listing all ingredients. 

The change in language addressed shared concerns about commonly used medications like Banamine and phenylbutazone, which barns frequently keep on hand to treat any horse that might need them. It also addressed a concern raised by veterinarian and competitor Susannah Lewis, DVM, during the comment period on the proposed change. She recommended requiring all active ingredients be listed on compounded medications.

“Yes, this is a legal requirement in every state I’ve practiced,” she wrote, “however there are several disreputable compounding pharmacies that will label something ‘skin salve’ or ‘performance vitamins’ etc., with absolutely no indication what is in them. I have run across this numerous times working as a horse show vet.” 

The approved version of the rule also includes provision GR 414.9, which specifically prohibits rectal administration of any substance on USEF competition grounds. 

The full text of the rule reads:

8. It is a prohibited practice to use and/or possess any of the following substances on competition grounds:

• a. Injectable ACTH [adrenocorticotropic hormone]
• b. Injectable adenosine
• c. Injectable formaldehyde
• d. Injectable magnesium sulfate
• e. Injectable melatonin
• f. Injectable oxytocin
• g. Injectable pentobarbital, except by a veterinarian for the purpose of euthanasia
• h. Injectable thiamine
• i. Injectable tryptophan
• j. Liquid nitrogen
• k. Any injectable prescription medication in any formulation without a manufacturer or compounding pharmacy label that identifies all ingredients

9. It is a prohibited practice to rectally administer any substance on the grounds of a Federation competition.