Scope of activities

The Veterinary Department engages in a wide scope of activities and provides support to many of the other departments at the FEI as well as veterinarians, National Federations and other stakeholders. The information below provides an overview of the department’s role and work.

Equine Welfare and Fair Play

Maintaining the highest levels of equine welfare and ensuring fair play are two of the FEIs’ core values and the heart of the Veterinary Department’s work. The department supports the FEI’s Clean Sport initiative by providing technical advice to veterinarians and athletes concerning the medication issues and by developing and carrying out the Global Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Programme (EADCMP).

In addition to the Clean Sport initiative, the department is also responsible for the organization of pony measuring and limb sensitivity examinations at FEI events on a global scale.

The department is also involved with numerous projects to enhance equine welfare. These projects are carried out in collaboration with external experts and further information can be found here. 

Regulation

The department, in conjunction with the FEI Veterinary Committee, is responsible for the Veterinary Regulations. The Regulations are reviewed on an annual basis which includes a consultation process with the FEI’s National Federations. In addition to the Veterinary Regulations, the department is also responsible for maintaining the Equine Prohibited Substances List (EPSL). The EPSL is managed in a similar way to the Regulations, involving an annual review with the ‘List Group’, an expert advisory group, and a consultation process with National Federations.

Education 

The education of Officials Veterinarians is paramount in the development of equestrian sport. Official Veterinarians must not only ensure the veterinary Regulations are adhered to, but also ensure that equine welfare is maintained at the highest standard as well as a fair playing field for all athletes.

The Veterinary department is responsible for the registration of all veterinarians that work at FEI events, the education and promotion of Official Veterinarians and the requirements for maintaining their status as Official Veterinarians. The department develops educational material and is involved with the liaison with course directors and National Federations in the organization of courses for FEI Veterinarians throughout the world.

Biosecurity and International Movements

The Veterinary Department is continuously working to ensure that high levels of biosecurity practices are carried out and maintained at FEI events. Such practices are supported by the Veterinary Regulations and the development of resources for event officials.

In addition with maintaining high levels of biosecurity the department is heavily involved in supporting the international movement of horses in conjunction with the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC) and the OIE.

Event Organisation

Veterinarians and Organising Committees are provided with technical support by the Veterinary department to ensure that events are run in the most optimal way. Foreign Veterinary Delegates are selected an appointed by the department to major events such as Games, World Cup Finals and Championships.

Event feedback  

The development of the online veterinary reporting system has allowed the department to follow up, in a more efficient manner, on feedback received by Veterinary Delegates from events. Feedback is used to enhance the systems that are already in place, identify areas which require improvement and follow up on any issues where required. The department is also responsible for the administration of fines and other sanctions that Veterinary Delegates identify at events.

Support work

In addition to supporting FEI veterinarians, the department provides technical support to other departments within the FEI. The department works closely with the Legal, Press and sports discipline departments as well as Solidarity, Commercial, IT and Corporate Communications.

Communications

The global nature of the FEI’s work results in communication being a key component to keeping our stakeholders updated. In addition to liaising to with the FEI’s Expert Groups, National Federations and replying to a wide range of general enquiries, the department regularly sends newsletters to all FEI registered veterinarians to ensure they are updated with the latest news and developments. Access to a wide range of support documents veterinarian require for their roles are found on the FEI website.

Representation and liaison

The Veterinary department is represented at many of the educational courses which is critical for feedback of issues and areas for development. The Veterinary Department is also represented at external meetings with other organisations such as the European Union and the OIE.