Open letter to the FEI progressive medications list

Hmmm...while I am not too sure what I think on this issue in general, I imagine a more persuasive and authoritative letter could have been written.

Not to disparage the author, but her main publications seem to be in a magazine which she edits, so perhaps a more clinically oriented vet could have written this. I also don't like sweeping generalisations, e.g. "patently ridiculous", slippery slope scare-mongering. Let the evidence speak for itself.

Some of the arguments made seem besides the point, e.g. the worry that bute causes oral ulcerations, etc which is a point against the use of bute in general and has nothing to do with competitions.

Some of the arguments I am not sure about: the claim about catastrophic injuries is backed by post-operative evidence, but presumably horses in post-operative situations would not be competing anyway and would have had serious injuries requiring the ops, so their bones will already be compromised, which would mean that it's not the bute causing the catastrophic injury but the existing weakness.
 
As a breeder at the recent WBFSH meeting in Copenhagen a presentation was given on the life of competition horses and the benefits to breeding of horses by stallions that stood up to a long competative career. If bute is used this would conceal the fact that it was not a good idea to use a stallion that was only kept competing by the use of drugs and as some studbooks only use competition success for stallion grading with no xrays or vetting this policy would be very bad for breeders.
 
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