The FEI has announced two adverse analytical findings involving prohibited substances.

The cases involve the use of sparteine and paracetamol, which are banned substances under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).

The athletes listed below have been provisionally suspended from the date of notification (18 April 2017) until the FEI Tribunal renders a decision. The horses, also listed below, have been provisionally suspended for two months:

Horse: Blaze of Glory II (FEI ID 103LD21/GBR)

Person Responsible: Henry Turrell (FEI ID 10012428/GBR)

Event: CSI3* - Vilamoura (POR), 6-12.03.2017

Prohibited Substance: Sparteine

Horse: Chanel Van De Zeshoek (FEI ID 103GA48/RSA)

Person Responsible: Jeanne Engela (FEI ID 10073226/RSA)

Event: CSI1*-W - Polokwane (RSA), 31.08-04.09.2016

Prohibited Substance: Paracetamol

According to the FEI prohibited substance database, sparteine and paracetamol are defined as follows:

“Sparteine is an anti-arrhythmic alkaloid which also stimulates uterine contractions. It can be extracted from some species of broom (e.g. Cytisus scoparius) and lupin (e.g. Lupinus luteus). It is not used therapeutically in horses.”

“Paracetamol – or Acetominophen – is widely available without prescription in many formulations for relief of headaches, fever, minor pain, colds and influenza; and is often combined with opioids or other non-steroidal compounds to help reduce the dose of these when treating more painful conditions; such combinations may be prescription-regulated. A paracetamol-codeine phosphate combination is licensed for veterinary use in the UK (POM-V).”

In early April, FEI also announced another case concerning the prohibited substance sparteine. Just like Turrell – one of the riders mentioned above – Marlon Modolo Zanotelli (BRA) was provisionally suspended after his horse Sirene de la Motte tested positive on sparteine. Just like Blaze of Glory II, Sirene de la Motte was competing at the Atlantic Tour in Vilamoura – during the CSI3* event running from 20-26 February 2017. Sparteine, the prohibited substance in these two cases, can for example be found in the plant scotch broom which could raise contamination questions. 

Details on these cases can be found here. Information on the substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.

*Note:

The FEI’s Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections - controlled medication and banned substances. Controlled medication substances are those that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned (doping) substances should never be found in the body of the horse.

In the case of an adverse analytical finding for a banned substance, the Person Responsible (PR) is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification. The horse is suspended for two months. In the case of a positive for a specified substance, provisional suspension is not automatic.

The FEI has also introduced the concept of specified substances. Specified substances should not in any way be considered less important or less dangerous than other prohibited substances. Rather, they are simply substances which are more likely to have been ingested by horses for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance, for example, through a contaminated food substance.