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We would like to remind you that the new article 1004.4 of the FEI Veterinary Regulations comes into effect tomorrow, Tuesday, 1 July 2025.
We would be grateful if you could remind your athletes and members of this change.
The article
The article states
“1004.4 It is strictly forbidden to use any type of substance/product inside or around the Horse’s mouth and/or tongue that may (i) imitate, induce or cause foaming; and/or (ii) coat or otherwise cover, or partially cover the bit. The prohibition excludes the use of products permitted in the FEI Tack App and the provision of permitted natural treats given in moderation. Contravening this rule will entail a Yellow Warning Card and Elimination.”
The rule books
The FEI Veterinary Regulations have been updated accordingly.
Article 434 6.5 of the FEI Dressage Rules and Article 8431.4.4 of the FEI Para Dressage Rules stating:
“It is strictly forbidden to use any type of substance (like “marshmallow fluff”, shaving cream etc.) around the Horse’s mouth to imitate foaming; contravening this rule will entail a Yellow Warning Card and Elimination.”
Have been removed the respective rulebooks and the new provision in the FEI Veterinary Regulations will apply across all the FEI disicplines.
Protocol
A protocol for the application of this rule at FEI events is available on Inside.FEI.org.
Webinar in replay
An explanatory webinar open to FEI Officials and National Federations took place on Friday, 27 June, and it can be viewed in replay here.
We invite you to share the protocol and video as widely as possible.
Contact
Should you have any questions, please contact veterinary@fei.org.
We thank you for your cooperation.
Please find below an invitation, which was sent yesterday to the FEI Officials regarding a webinar on the newly introduced rule 1004.4 to the FEI Veterinary Regulations.
This webinar is open to the NFs and we encourage the relevant NF staff and members to join as well as.
We take this opportunity to remind you that this rule comes into effect on 1 July 2025 and would be grateful if you could inform the athletes registered with your NF accordingly.
***
To the attention of all FEI Officials
Dear FEI Officials,
We are pleased to invite you to a webinar dedicated to the implementation of the newly introduced Article 1004.4 to the FEI Veterinary Regulations, which will come into effect on 1 July 2025.
The webinar is open to all FEI Officials.
Date and time of the webinar
Friday, 27 June, 14:00 – 14:30 CEST (local time in Lausanne)
The new rule
At its recent in-person meeting, the FEI Board took the following Emergency Board Resolution:
The following paragraph will be added to the FEI Veterinary Regulations, Article 1004 ‘Prohibited Methods’, for equine welfare reasons:
“1004.4 It is strictly forbidden to use any type of substance/product inside or around the Horse’s mouth and/or tongue that may (i) imitate, induce or cause foaming; and/or (ii) coat or otherwise cover, or partially cover the bit. The prohibition excludes the use of products permitted in the FEI Tack App and the provision of permitted natural treats given in moderation. Contravening this rule will entail a Yellow Warning Card and Elimination.”
This rule will come into effect on 1 July 2025 and will replace the following provisions in the FEI Dressage Rules and FEI Para Dressage Rules:
Article 434 6.5 of the FEI Dressage Rules and Article 8431.4.4 of the FEI Para Dressage Rules which currently state:
“It is strictly forbidden to use any type of substance (like “marshmallow fluff”, shaving cream etc.) around the Horse’s mouth to imitate foaming; contravening this rule will entail a Yellow Warning Card and Elimination.”
These rules will be removed from the respective rulebooks as of 1 July 2025 and the new provision in the FEI Veterinary Regulations will apply.
Background information and rationale
In the weeks leading up to the in-person FEI Board meeting, the FEI received numerous images from FEI events showing horses’ mouths covered in thick sticky foam. The FEI investigated the cause and concluded that this unnatural foaming was very likely induced by excessive feeding with treats composed of icing sugar and a binder (gelatine, beeswax, gum arabica etc.) There are strong indications that it is used to mask issues in the oral cavity such as discoloration of the horse’s tongue and gums.
As such practice is very clearly against horse welfare and has the potential to be harmful to the horses’ health, the FEI acted quickly and robustly by explicitly banning the practice.
Webinar content, presenter, panellists
Göran Åkerström, FEI Director Veterinary and Welfare, will explain the purpose of the rule as well as the guidelines and protocols FEI Officials must follow when applying it.
Panellists
Ronan Murphy, FEI Director Dressage, Para Dressage and Vaulting
Diana Münnich, FEI Steward Course Director
How to join
Please follow the link:
https://fei.webex.com/fei/j.php?MTID=m224292d53bc785481f81ff67e0c70503
Recording
The webinar will be recorded and the video will be made available publicly on Inside.FEI.org.
***
Thank you for your cooperation.
The FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List Group - the sub-committee of the Veterinary Committee responsible for the FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List (EPSL) - has met to consider changes to the 2025 EPSL which can be found here. Any accepted changes will come into effect as of 1 January 2026, and are subject to consultation and review before their implementation.
Please submit all comments regarding the proposed changes, together with a clear scientific reasoning, to Caterina Termine by Monday 28 July 2025. All comments received within this deadline will be considered by the FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List Group before finalising their conclusions.
The first in-person FEI Board meeting of the year took place on 17 and 18 June at the FEI Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI).
An important decision taken by the Board is the urgent rule repair to the FEI Veterinary Regulations, which has been made for equine welfare reasons, as follows:
FEI Veterinary Regulations – urgent rule repair for Equine Welfare reasons *
Emergency Board Resolution
The Board approved the he appointment of two new Executive Directors: Áine Power (IRL) as Executive Director of Sport & Games, and François Vergnol (FRA) as Executive Director of the newly formed Commercial, Marketing, and Communications Department. The dedicated press release can be consulted here.
The following paragraph will be added to the FEI Veterinary Regulations, Article 1004 ‘Prohibited Methods’, for equine welfare reasons:
“1004.4 It is strictly forbidden to use any type of substance/product inside or around the Horse’s mouth and/or tongue that may (i) imitate, induce or cause foaming; and/or (ii) coat or otherwise cover, or partially cover the bit. The prohibition excludes the use of products permitted in the FEI Tack App and the provision of permitted natural treats given in moderation. Contravening this rule will entail a Yellow Warning Card and Elimination.”
This rule will come into effect on 1 July 2025 and will replace the following provisions in the FEI Dressage Rules and FEI Para Dressage Rules:
Article 434 6.5 of the FEI Dressage Rules and Article 8431.4.4 of the FEI Para Dressage Rules which currently state:
“It is strictly forbidden to use any type of substance (like “marshmallow fluff”, shaving cream etc.) around the Horse’s mouth to imitate foaming; contravening this rule will entail a Yellow Warning Card and Elimination.”
These rules will be removed from the respective rulebooks as of 1 July 2025 and the new provision in the FEI Veterinary Regulations will apply.
* Given that this is an Emergency Board Resolution, National Federations have until 18 July 2025 to signify their disapproval by sending an email to Francisco P. Lima, Director of Governance.
The Board approved the he appointment of two new Executive Directors: Áine Power (IRL) as Executive Director of Sport & Games, and François Vergnol (FRA) as Executive Director of the newly formed Commercial, Marketing, and Communications Department. The dedicated press release can be consulted here.
The Board also approved the appointment of Alec Lochore (GBR) as Eventing course designer for the LA28 Olympic Games. A detailed press release has been published here.
The remaining key resolutions and discussion summaries are available in this wrap-up report.
The FEI Sport & Games and the Veterinary & Equine Welfare departments would like to draw your attention to the application deadline to host FEI Transfer Up or CES (FEI Competency-based Evaluation System) Maintenance Courses in 2026.
We kindly ask you to download the relevant application and budget forms, which can be accessed via the links provided below, and to send them to the FEI via the corresponding email address also provided below, no later than 31 July 2025.
Should you have any questions regarding the administration of our courses, please contact the relevant FEI Discipline or Veterinary & Equine Welfare Department who will be able to assist you.
As previously communicated, the following positions are open for candidacy in 2025:
The deadline to submit applications for these open positions is 1 May 2025 at 23:59 CEST. Applications must be sent to elections&appointments@fei.org.
New: A position for Medical Committee Member has recently been added. The deadline to submit a candidacy for this role is 31 August 2025 at 23:59 CEST.
The complete list of open positions, including job specifications, deadlines, timelines, and candidate requirements, is available here on inside.FEI.org.
For any questions, please contact FEI Director Governance & Institutional Affairs Francisco P. Lima at francisco.lima@fei.org.
The FEI Veterinary Department would like to inform you of a number of recent Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks in Slovakia and Hungary.
While horses cannot be infected or ill from FMD, these outbreaks may still affect horse transportation due to movement restrictions and biosecurity measures.
You will find all the necessary information at the following link, to help you stay informed and take the necessary precautions.
We thank you for your support in observing these control measures and remain available should you have any questions.
Further to the launch of the new FEI approved LockCon sampling kits last year, we would like to inform you of a few important changes to the ordering EADCM sampling equipment.
The paper order forms that are currently in use will be discontinued and replaced with an online ordering system later this week. The cost of sampling equipment for FEI events is funded by the FEI and the new system will allow the Veterinary Department to track orders and manage the funding more effectively.
Please kindly be aware that Testing Veterinarians, Veterinary Delegates or Endurance Official Veterinarians are responsible for providing the FEI approved EADCM sampling equipment to FEI events. This responsibility does not fall with OCs, VSMs or NFs and therefore the new ordering system is limited to only those who are actively involved with EADCM sample collection.
National Federations are obliged by the Veterinary Regulations to maintain a small stock of sampling equipment. We would like to request that your National Head Veterinarian place orders on your NF’s behalf, where required, to align with the EADCM testing plans for events held by your NF.
Thank you for your support with the FEI’s EADCM programme and please feel free to contact us on veterinary@fei.org should you have any questions.
As you know, starting from 1 May 2025, the tightness of nosebands at FEI Events across all FEI Disciplines will be controlled using the FEI Measuring Device.
With the implementation day fast approaching, please be informed that as a priority, all active FEI Stewards will receive one FEI Measuring Device free of charge.
We kindly request your assistance in distributing the devices to your active FEI Stewards. The FEI will start sending packages to the National Federations in the upcoming week with a list of your FEI Stewards who are active and fulfil the requirements to officiate at FEI Events.
We will provide further information to the broader equestrian community on how to purchase the FEI Measuring Device.
We thank you for your vital support on this important project.
We are pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the Equine Influenza vaccination module on the FEI HorseApp, which will be available to all users as of 3 February 2025.
Following the approval of the FEI Veterinary Regulations 2025 at the FEI General Assembly in Abu Dhabi on 13 November 2024, the new module will align with the modification of the regulations. It will allow the registration of equine influenza vaccination details on the FEI HorseApp for all FEI Horses.
OVERVIEW OF THE VACCINATION PROCESS AND MODULE FEATURES
The equine influenza vaccination module on the FEI HorseApp will enable vaccination details to be recorded in a fully digital format, in addition to being recorded in the Horse’s Passport.
WHO CAN USE THE VACCINATION MODULE ON THE FEI HORSEAPP?
Find further information about the use of the FEI HorseApp, with a dedicated section for each user, on Inside.FEI.org.
TIMELINE FOR ROLLOUT
03 February 2025:
February to December 2025:
Historical vaccination details will be progressively entered on the FEI HorseApp through different ways:
COMMUNICATION WITH ATHLETES
The FEI will contact all Athletes already registered for 2025 to inform them about this new requirement. However, we encourage you, as National Federations, to share this important update with your Athletes. We will continue to inform newly registered Athletes throughout the year.
COMMUNICATION WITH VETERINARIANS
The FEI is contacting all veterinarians registered with the FEI directly. There are other practising veterinarians in your country that are not FEI Veterinarians and who will have to follow those new requirements when vaccinating Horses that are competing at FEI level. In case you have national lists of veterinarians, we would appreciate if you could share the content of this communication with them.
FURTHER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
To ensure that all stakeholders have all the necessary information to use the new module, we have created a dedicated page on Inside.FEI.org. This page includes:
If you have any questions or require further information about this new module, please do not hesitate to contact the Technology and Sport Services department at usersupport@fei.org.
We thank you for your collaboration.
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