Essential risk management for risk takers: Best practice in prohibited substances management & BETA NOPS®
Introduction
Talking about risk to people who compete horses may seem futile – most of us accept risk is part of equestrianism and get on with the daily highs and lows of a life with horses.
Picture this then – A rider stands on the podium – proud of their horse, reflecting on the effort and expense of preparing for the moment, the training, the recoveries from injury, the support of family, owners, friends, coaches and perhaps the country.
Then the horse tests positive for a prohibited substance. With it not only is the result gone, but it’s also lost time & effort, maybe a future qualification is missed, and not only that, your reputation and perhaps that of your sport are tarnished.
As a supplier to riders and trainers competing under rules, how can you best advise your customers when it comes to prohibited substances and what do they need to know about BETA NOPS®?
What are the rules and who sets them?
Prohibited substances rules are complex but work on the principle that a horse should compete on its merits alone. Racing and sporting bodies operate similar but distinct systems, and some countries operate their own interpretations of the rules.
The FEI governs international equestrian sport and publishes an annually updated prohibited substances list through its Clean Sport program. Substances are listed as either banned or controlled medication, and there is also a category of specified substances – which provides for inadvertent consumption for certain substances.
Racing operates under an international framework set out by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), which effectively sets model rules that different racing jurisdictions apply. In the UK this is the British Horse Racing Authority, and in Ireland it is the Irish Horseracing Regulatory body (IHRB).
Then there are regional and national interpretations – for instance in Scandinavian countries, the Nordic Equine Medication and Anti-Doping Committee (NEMAC) rules apply for racing , and the German Equestrian Federation (Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung), also colloquially known as theFN, sets stringent rules for competition within Germany - both these set requirements in a different way to the IFHA or FEI models.
An example of the complexity and divergence arising from different sporting regulatory rules is given in table 1.
Table 1: Selected divergent prohibited substances approach per regulator.
In addition, its worth noting that sporting regulators consider supplements to be different to feed – which is in contrast to feed law where both bagged feed and supplements are classed as complementary feeding stuffs. For instance, within its Equine Anti-Doping Rules and Equine Controlled Medication Rules, the FEI states: “No Fault or Negligence” does not apply “where the presence of the Banned Substance/Controlled Medication Substance in a Sample came from a mislabelled or contaminated supplement…. A contaminated supplement will not excuse a positive doping test, and sanctions will be imposed in accordance with the rules.”. Specific wording regarding supplements appears in racing rule books also.
Who’s responsible?
In racing, in the event of a positive test, the trainer is held responsible. In equestrian sport however, it is predominately the rider, although there is provision for additional persons responsible (APRs) that can include the horse’s owner, trainer, or support personnel who may have made relevant decisions regarding the horse’s compliance with antidoping regulations – especially if the horse is not stabled with or cared for by the rider.
What are the risks from feed?
In relation to the equine diet, it is imperative to work alongside companies that understand the rules and how their products comply for the sport & country in which a horse is competing.
A 500kg horse eats 14-15kg of total feed per day in the form of forage and concentrates – including supplements. Forage, bagged, feed and supplements can all be sources of prohibited substances inadvertently entering a horse (Figure1). Whilst much focus is rightfully given to ensuring what the horse consumes is appropriate for the work being done, it is equally vital that if competing under rules, that diligence is given to ensure that the forage, bagged feed and supplements do not contain substances that might cause a horse to fail that post-competition test.
The relatively small size of the horse nutrition industry in relation to human food and animal feed production makes it vulnerable to prohibited substances risk. Manufactured products account for less than 2% of all manufactured animal feed; supplements sometimes emanate from human food industry thinking, and forage is grown in agricultural settings. Each will have different supply chain risks, rules, and (potential lack of) focus on and accountabilities from the suppliers for prohibited substances being present.
Reducing the risk of inadvertent contamination with NOPS requires best practice in both stable hygiene and in selecting the products used. A simple signpost to identification of brands operating a high standard of care relating to the management of prohibited substances risk is to look for the BETA NOPS® logo.
What is BETA NOPS® and what sets it apart?
Established in 2009,BETA NOPS® is an internationally recognised, independently verified, quality assurance mark for the management of prohibited substances that can enter a horse through the feedstuffs it consumes. NOPS is an acronym for Natural and Other Prohibited Substances, which has recently evolved. It is a sign of best practice, demonstrating that a company takes all possible steps to ensure the risk of NOPS is minimised. The scheme recognizes that it’s not possible nor valid to base control of prohibited substances through laboratory testing alone, and requires 24/7 ingredient, supply chain and operational vigilance.
BETA NOPS® certification requires the consideration and management prohibited substances risks in the following categories
- Naturally Occurring Substances (NOS) - Includes substances that can occur naturally or via cross-contamination in the supply chain in feed, feed materials and feed additives but are prohibited or restricted in competing equines e.g. caffeine, morphine. These are further subdivided into NOS or herbal NOS.
- External Contaminant Substances (ECS) - Includes substances that aren’t naturally occurring but present a safety and/or competition risk e.g. Zilpaterol, Clenbuterol.
- Feed Additives, Materials and Other Substances (FAMOS) recognises that some substances screened for by regulatory bodies due to misuse, may be naturally present within ingredients used in feedstuffs for horses e.g. cobalt, arsenic, or intentionally added e.g. sodium bicarbonate, MSM. BETA NOPS® certified business must demonstrate responsible controls of their presence in formulations.
Giving advice on prohibited substances
Given the different regulatory frameworks and potential accountabilities, diligence in what your customers choose - or what you recommend, is paramount when it comes to the feedstuffs horse eat when competing under rules, especially if there is a chance you could be considered to be an APR.
The checklist below provides a useful aide-memoire:
