March
3, 2010
IMPORTANT RULE CHANGE
ON USE OF NSAIDs FROM THE USEF
Special Notice to USEF Stewards, Technical Delegates and Competition
Management Concerning NSAID Disclosure Procedures
By the USEF Equine Drugs and Medication Program
At
this year’s USEF Annual Meeting held January 13-17, 2010, an important
rule change was approved affecting the use of non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in competition horses. Over the years,
ongoing veterinary research has revealed that not only is there little
or no benefit to administering more than one NSAID to a horse for most
medical concerns, it can actually cause potentially harmful, even severe
side effects.
Motivated by its commitment to the welfare of the horse, the USEF Board
of Directors voted to amend its Therapeutic Drug Rule and restrict use
to a single NSAID beginning December 1, 2011. Both the American
Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and the American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA) support the rule change, and USEF joins other
organizations including the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA)
and Equine Canada in making this important rule change.
While the presence of two of the seven approved and quantitatively
restricted NSAIDs in a horse will still be allowed prior to December
2011 (with the exception of the forbidden combination of phenylbutazone
“Bute,” and flunixin meglumine [Banamine®]), it is important to note
that new restrictions are in place concerning their use. Beginning
April, 1, 2010, anyone administering two NSAIDs to a horse within five
days prior to participating at a USEF-licensed competition will be
required to complete and file a NSAID Disclosure Form with the USEF
Steward/Technical Delegate or their Designated Competition Office
Representative. This form will allow the USEF Equine Drugs and
Medications Program to collect valuable data regarding the use of NSAIDs
in competition horses.
USEF
has developed an education plan to guide management, owners, trainers,
and exhibitors through the implementation of this rule change. The
Federation has published an informational pamphlet and created the NSAID
Disclosure Form. Both the pamphlet and the forms will be shipped to all
Competition Managers for distribution from their competition offices.
Additionally, both the form and the pamphlet are immediately available
online at:
http://www.usef.org/documents/drugsMeds/NSAIDDisclosureForm.pdf and
http://issuu.com/equestrian/docs/nsaidandyourhorseweb?mode=embed&layout=http://www.usef.org/issuu/nsaids/layout.xml&showFlipBtn=true
It
is the responsibility of the competitor and their veterinarian to make
certain the use of two NSAIDs within five days of competing is reported
on the NSAID Disclosure Form and is properly filed with the USEF
Steward/Technical Delegate or their Designated Competition Office
Representative. It is important to note that a standard USEF Medication
Report Form may not be used in this particular instance.
It
is the responsibility of USEF Stewards/Technical Delegates to collect
the NSAID Disclosure Form and submit it to the Federation Office in
Lexington, Kentucky. The Steward or Technical Delegate may designate a
person in the competition office to act as their representative and
accept the NSAID Disclosure Form. The Designated Competition Office
Representative must be a Federation Senior Member and an office staff
person mutually agreed upon by the Competition Management and
Competition Steward/Technical Delegate. The Designated Competition
Office Representative will be responsible for collecting, dating,
signing, and issuing receipt for all the NSAID Disclosure Forms
submitted, but it is the Steward’s/Technical Delegate’s sole
responsibility to inspect and return all the NSAID Disclosure Forms to
the Federation Office in Lexington, Kentucky.
For additional information and veterinary
literature regarding NSAID use and the change to the USEF rule
concerning their use, visit:
http://www.usef.org/_IFrames/Drugs/NSAID.aspx.
The
vision of the United States Equestrian Federation ® is to provide
leadership
for equestrian sport in the United
States of America by promoting the pursuit of excellence from the
grassroots to the Olympic Games, based on a foundation of fair, safe
competition and the welfare of its human and equine athletes.
Congratulations to our
winner, Rachel Jelen!
