FEI Veterinary Highlights 2022

There are multiple ongoing veterinary projects aimed at further promoting equine welfare and equestrian sport globally.

Biosecurity and the international movement of horses

Biosecurity continues to be a major focus for the FEI and the updated biosecurity protocols in the FEI Veterinary Regulations are fully supported by education and control systems.

Following the Equine Herpes Virus-1 (EHV-1) outbreak of 2021, a full three-part report was established and published. The actions and rules provided in this report were implemented on a global level throughout 2022 and proved extremely efficient in containing further EHV-1 outbreaks. The report also played a crucial role in convincing European Union members to not list EHV-1 as a notifiable and actionable disease, meaning that veterinarians as well as other stakeholders do not have to notify their ministry responsible for disease control when there is a case.

The additional biosecurity requirements that were implemented for the post- EHV-1 Return To Competition By-Laws were incorporated into the revised biosecurity protocols in the FEI Veterinary Regulations 2022 and play a crucial role in maintaining the privileged status of FEI Horses for cross-border transportation.

The FEI Veterinary Department has proven to have a structured and efficient way of proceeding in crisis situations regarding the containment of disease outbreaks. As a result, in 2022 the department became established as a reliable partner in the collaborative European effort to fight infectious diseases, with participation in notable contexts such as the Federation of European Equine Veterinary Associations (FEEVA) Infectious Disease Working Group.

With over 4,500 international events in 2022, ensuring the safe movement of horses from one country to another is a priority. The FEI Veterinary Department provided direct support to the National Federations competing in Great Britain and stakeholders by extending the opening hours of the services provided at Border Inspection Posts between Great Britain and France as well as the Ukraine and Poland for horse transports going out of Ukraine as a consequence of the war. A facilitation of the temporary import of competition horses from Germany to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was also put in place.

Meanwhile, work on implementation of harmonised health certificates for FEI Regional Groups V and VI – known as The Americas Project – is continuing, and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE1) Regional Office in Buenos Aires is starting to hire staff for it. The project, which will facilitate easier movement for horses within the Americas (Group VI and parts of Group V), has a planned 2025 completion date.

The acquired knowledge and experience were ultimately also put to good use as the FEI Veterinary Department supported the FEI Solidarity Department in creating a hands-on Biosecurity Course for National Federations and other stakeholders. 

The FEI Hyposensitivity Control System (HSC) – A Game Changer 

The FEI Hyposensitivity Control Programme (HSC) for Endurance was fully implemented throughout 2022. HSC is a game changing tool to prevent catastrophic injuries caused by fractures and soft tissue trauma at FEI Endurance Events. 

In 2022:

A bit of history:

The FEI Hyposensitivity Control System was developed by the FEI in partnership with Dr Schambourg. This Control System has started to be implemented in 2020, in FEI Endurance rides. The objective of this Control System is to ensure the welfare of horses by protecting them from having severe injuries due to low sensitivity of their limbs. In 2019, the FEI has trained a pool of 12 FEI Official Veterinarians to perform the control. This explanatory video will give you an insight of the FEI Hyposensitivity Control System.

Watch the HSC here: