Big ethical questions were laid out for vets and the global horse industry to debate as the FEI prepares to overhaul its veterinary regulations this year.
Could icing right before a horse inspection be masking issues? Do current rules around pergolide need to be reconsidered? Should drips given without a veterinary diagnosis be stopped? Where is the line on whether a “dangerous horse” is fit to compete? Should the FEI have a right to take DNA tests from horses at competitions and at home? And how can the right balance be struck in making a rule while taking into consideration the fact horses are all individuals?
Those are just a few of the key questions the FEI is asking experts, federations and the wider industry, after the topics were raised by top FEI vets Jenny Hall, Caterina Termine and Göran Åkerström at the FEI Sports forum (30 to 31 March).
Mr Åkerström told the forum the FEI is looking into having a set “fitness to compete” rule, which will include mental fitness. He explained that while fitness to compete underpins the regulations, there is no clear and general rule on what that means.
The FEI is also considering amending its rules on neurectomy, removal of all or part of a nerve. The FEI rule currently bans horses with hyposensitive or hypersensitive areas of the body from competing.
Mr Åkerström said the rule is “difficult to understand” and queries about it are “among the most common questions” the veterinary department receives.
“It is also very difficult to enforce, because it puts all the burden of evidence onto us,” he said, adding that “most importantly” the Palmar neurectomy in particular presents a “major risk” for horses.
He said that the FEI is proposing that either all forms of neurectomy are prohibited – which has previously been an FEI rule – or that the Palmar nerve neurectomy, which removes sensitivity in the foot, is banned. He added that future mandatory registration of neurectomy in the FEI’s Equipass app has also been suggested.
A member of the audience said having a clearer rule would support vets.
Dr Hall replied that the FEI does recognise that potentially “neurectomy” is part of some other surgical procedures, such as those involving horses’ backs, which is why the FEI felt clarifying that this is concerning Palmar neurectomy “would simplify it and may be the real way forward”.
The FEI is also considering the ethics around the drug pergolide, a common drug for horses with Cushing’s disease (also known as pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, PPID). It’s a controlled medication, which means it has a veterinary purpose but cannot be a horse’s system on competition day.
Mr Åkerström raised the point that this means owners stop giving the treatment to horses before a competition, which could lead to health issues. But he sais this also raises other questions.
“Is a horse that requires medication to maintain its health fit to compete at FEI level? And if so, should a TUE [therapeutic use exemption] be allowed in all disciplines, because questions around enhanced performance have been raised if this is given to horses who don’t have the disease,” he said, adding that the FEI would like to hear views and that it will also conduct an ethical evaluation, with equine ethics professor Madeleine Campbell and a leading specialist.
The FEI is also proposing tightening up on situations where horses are given what is dubbed “comfort fluids”, where reportedly fluids are given intravenously (IV) without a clinical reason, which Mr Åkerström said poses a health risk to some horses.
He stressed that this does not mean that the FEI wants to stop IV fluids, but that they want these to be administered based on a veterinary examination and proper diagnosis.
He added that the FEI has commissioned two studies on the topic, which will inform rule changes.
“We can’t really say what exactly [the new rule is] going to be, but I’m sure there’s going to be limitations in how intravenous fluids can be administered at FEI events,” he said. “We would probably also need to introduce a sanction for IV administration of fluids without documented clinical assessment. Today, that is not always happening, and it’s just not acceptable.”
Another proposal is to prohibit cooling with ice within 30 minutes of a horse inspection (or re-inspection), as Mr Åkerström said that there are concerns that icing could “actually mask the pain that the horse inspection panel is supposed to detect”.
Suggestions around body condition scoring, an end to non-emergency injections at FEI events, and pony measuring were also mooted.
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