New initiatives to “support sport horse welfare” have been announced in the United States following the death of showjumper Chromatic BF at the World Cup final.
Katharine Branscomb’s 13-year-old gelding Chromatic BF collapsed and died in the stables shortly after the second leg of the competition on 18 April, in which he had finished third with rider Jill Humphrey. It was reported at the time that following Chromatic BF’s round he was given a “refreshment and a routine shot of electrolytes” by the US team vet.
US Equestrian (USEF) has “sought as much information as possible” on what led to Chromatic BF’s death.
“While the post-mortem was inconclusive, following USEF’s engagement of experts to study the findings, USEF believes the most probable contributor is related to medications administered to the horse by a USEF appointed veterinarian shortly before the horse collapsed,” said a USEF spokesperson.
“The USEF-appointed veterinarian made the decision to administer FEI-permitted medications that he believed would help sustain the horse’s performance in the days that followed.”
Ms Branscombe said she recognised that Chromatic BF’s death was the “unintended consequence of a single vet acting alone without prior consultation of anyone on Chromatic BF’s team out of a well-intentioned but mistaken effort to help the horse prepare for the jumping final to be held two days later”.
“I truly appreciate that the USEF is taking substantive steps now towards improving sport horse welfare and better protecting all our competition horses,” she added.
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USEF and the FEI confirmed to H&H that the vet who administered the medication to Chromatic BF did not break any FEI rules and no action is being taken against the vet.
USEF and Ms Brancombe have developed initiatives “aimed at learning from this tragedy and mitigating the risk of a recurrence”. This includes revision to USEF’s horse participation consent agreement to state that except in emergencies, no medication will be administered by team vets at international competitions without prior consent of the athlete, who is the person responsible under the FEI regulations for substances present in the horse.
The federation, in collaboration with the American Association of Equine Practitioners, will develop a continuing education programme for team vets around performance sports medicine and welfare, and a new education/research programme will also be launched in Chromatic BF’s name.
Ms Branscomb told H&H she is “quite optimistic that the tragic and avoidable death of my beloved horse will have an enduring positive impact on the safety and wellbeing of sport horses at all USEF-sanctioned events from today onwards”.
“It took courage and hard work on everyone’s part to arrive at what I sincerely believe will be a powerful set of new tools to enrich and nurture the lives of our equine teammates in competition,” she said, adding that the next step is to establish priorities and guidelines for the projects.
An FEI spokesperson told H&H the FEI acknowledges and supports USEF’s initiatives as they “convey an important message to the worldwide veterinary community”.
“In light of the events, the FEI has emphasised the importance of limiting injections to only what is necessary and safe. We also strongly encourage avoiding off-label use of medications whenever possible,” said an FEI spokesperson.
“We have asked that a careful risk/benefit assessment be carried out for every treatment administered, with particular attention to avoiding injectable substances when a safe and effective oral option is available.”
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
