FEI to allow horses to compete on bute!

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Astra

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This is a complete turn around and goes totally against everything they have been saying about having a no tolerance approach!

www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/291950.html

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I think there is a very valid case for this, along with tolerance levels for medication that could have been used several weeks prior or trace amounts from cross-contamination through buckets.
 
If something really is in pain 1 bute isn't going to hide it. I can't remember when it was completely banned, but I know in the 70's and I think 80's too it was common to give a horse a bute or two on the saturday evening of a 3-day event. Lucinda Green discusses it in one of her old books, the one about Be Fair I think.
 
I think it is disgraceful that this matter has even got this far! How can Princess Haya make herself out to be prioritising the welfare of the horse, and then allow a vote on what is in effect reintroducing doping?? This sport has been trying to clean up for years. What kind of sport allows it's top athletes to take painkillers and be expected to perform at the very highest level??
 
QR - To some extent I agree. Im not saying that lame horses should be competing, far from it. Some horses, especially older horses become stiff from travelling for example. A bit of bute would make them more comfortable but wouldnt be hiding any lameness.

Surely the comfort of the horse should be paramount.
 
i dont think you can have tolerance levels on painkillers and steroids no matter what because how do you define the threshold levels? all horses react differently and the system would be open to abuse. But on the other hand if it is something with no performance enhancing properties then I can slightly see where they are going with it.
 
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What kind of sport allows it's top athletes to take painkillers and be expected to perform at the very highest level??

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Actually, quite a few. Many amateur and professional sports have guidelines in place whereby an athlete can declare the use of a small amount of NSAID, anti-histamine etc. for a proscribed use. I think this is part of the point - if a person can take an asprin why can't a horse take the equivalent? And, of course, many (most?) national federations allow some NSAID uses at certain levels of national competition in some disciplines.

However, I think it's more complicated than that for equestrian sports. First, the horse is not sentient and capable of making it's own decision and secondly, there is a public perception issue.
 
I don't think they banned it until the '90s. I remember watching Jappaloupe being fed his vitamins at Olympia one year on Eurosport.

BTW it is currently legal to jump horses BSJA on Bute.
 
Nat - I agree with your comment but, where do you draw the line from a horse that is a 'bit stiff' to a horse that is seriously stiff/a bit lame?

It is difficult the evalute this - the difference between "a headache" that is transient, to a seriously long-term condition.

I have no answers here but I wonder at the merits/de-merits of this proposal?? I really don't know?
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I suppose allowing low levels of bute might make it less likely that people will give their horses other substances in an attempt to get around the rules? Better the devil you know?
 
Disgusting. Competeing a horse on a painkiller only opens the door for potentially more damage to be caused to the horse. What happened to keeping the animals welfare at heart! Very sad state of affairs.
 
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If something really is in pain 1 bute isn't going to hide it. I can't remember when it was completely banned, but I know in the 70's and I think 80's too it was common to give a horse a bute or two on the saturday evening of a 3-day event. Lucinda Green discusses it in one of her old books, the one about Be Fair I think.

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This is my bosses position on this; bute is like paracetamol- helps with the odd ache, but won't touch significant pain, especially in small doses as you describe.
Personally, if my horse needed bute to compete, I would consider him/her too sore and I wouldn't. I only compete for fun though.
 
I agree with allowing horses to compete that were buted a week or 2 ago and the effect has worn off but the chemical is still showing in doping tests.

i don't agree with horses coming while under the effect of bute and i think there is a clear difference.
 
Bute is a NSAID like aspirin or ibuprofen. It wouldn't come anywhere close to covering up serious lameness. If the FEI really wanted to ensure horse welfare, they'd do a trot up like the eventers do for the SJers. I can think of a couple off the top of my head that would be quite lame at the trot (but they never trot so you never notice)...
 
The vote has now been taken and its now legal to compete on bute from 2010. I know so many people used to do this in 'the olden days' and that there are many horses who genuinely continue a very useful existence on low levels BUT I can see this being a charter for cheating and wriggling round the guidelines.

Sadly not everyone has high moral standards. This is a very retrograde step.
 
Do they not present SJers before CSIs? They certainly do it for dressage horses. It may be a formality but it's not an automatic pass and horses do get spun from time to time. The problem is that's before things start and people can do the same preparations as eventers. I know quite a few top event horses that wouldn't be what most people call completely sound if you just pulled them from their stalls in the morning.:)

Being an upper level competition horse is hard work and there is wear and tear. It can't be avoided. I guess the argument is where do you draw the line? There are rules about icing but you can do it. What about magnetic rugs? Acupuncture? All prove to help sore horses and all allowed. Surely if your horse needs something like that it's not "pain free"?

Personally, I don't think I am in favour of allowing bute, but not necessarily because I think it's some demon drug that allows horses to compete regardless of injury. I know lots of older horses that are living lovely lives being schoolmasters that wouldn't be able to without it. I'd much rather see a horse being given a little help than being chucked in a field, still hurting, but deemed "okay" simply because the owner doesn't have to see/ride it every day. But at the top levels I think there are other issues in play, one of which is public perception. The sport has taken some big hits recently and I'm quite surprised they are entertaining this now. I do think the "legal limits" problem has to be addressed though, and perhaps this is the only way of doing it reasonably. I'm not familiar enough with the technology to know.
 
I agree with the point that there was never enough time to thoroughly discuss or debate this. It went to vote almost immediately. Quite irresponsible of the FEI, in my opinion.

Whether you agree with the use of bute in competition or not, you have to admit their constant inability to abide by, enforce or even keep their own rules in place is quite embarrassing.
 
SJers certainly have a vet check before the competition begins e.g. this morning in Stuttgart but I don't know what this now involves. It obviously should include a trot-up.

Bute was previously phased out, but I know that a lot of riders wanted it re-introduced at the equivalent level to humans taking a mild dose of a painkiller.

It's a complex and emotive issue and I don't feel I know enough to decide one way or the other.
 
Omg this is a joke? The FIE can not, say they are 'no torrolence' on drugs in the horse industry and then propose that we are all allowed to compete our horses on what is essentially a drug that allows horses to move pain free? The bottom line is that horses are given bute as a pain killer, to Prevent pain, this shud not be abused, by people competing horses that are actually lame underneith the cover that bute provides? This is CRAZY! any horse that competes under FIE rules, shud be fit, helathy, sounds and all importantly the horse should be like that NATURALLY, without ANY other substance.
Silly FIE! x
 
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