Current provisions in the EADCMR

All Horses registered with the FEI or a National Federation shall may be subject to intelligence based Out-of-Competition Testing by the FEI.

Nothing in these Rules shall preclude any National Federation from adopting its own Out-of-Competition Testing protocols. Possible Future Developments: Hair Testing, Out-of-Competition Testing.

Given the very complex situation in Equestrian Sport as to who should be the Person Responsible out of competition for example (horse owner, trainer, athlete?), logistics and practicalities, it is proposed to have a thorough review of such mechanism prior to adopting and implementing a full Out of Competition Testing Program.

Given the Covid-19 situation and the fact that the Sports Forum could not take place as an in-person meeting, it is suggested to hold a dedicated forum/workshop on this topic either later this year or early next year to involve key stakeholders, other Organisations (such as Racing Authorities), and experts to propose the best approach/way forward.

Any proposed changes arising from the Out of Competition Testing forum/workshop would be presented at the Sports Forum in 2021 and, subject to the feedback, included in the 2021 Rules Revision Process.

In the meantime, the proposed changes to the existing Rules are as follows:
♦  All Horses registered with the FEI or a National Federation shall may be subject to intelligence based Out-of-Competition Testing by the FEI. (…)

Current definition of “Sample”: Any biological or other material collected for the purposes of Doping or Controlled Medication.

This means that hair testing is already permitted under the FEI Rules.

However, as hair testing allows to detect the presence of prohibited substances administered up to several months before the testing, the challenges that apply to implementing  Out of Competition Testing also apply here.

Therefore, it is proposed to include this topic in the discussions at the Forum/Workshop on Out of Competition Testing.