FEI | Horse Racing Free Tips

Thoroughbreds To Be Recognised In Olympics

Thoroughbreds will now be recognised in the starting lists and results beginning with the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, in an agreement announced on Tuesday.

Previously, retired Thoroughbred racehorses were listed as 'breeding unknown'. The agreement–which applies to dressage, show jumping, and eventing–follows discussions between the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation (EMHF), the World Breeding Federation for Sports Horses (WBFSH), the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) and the International Stud Book Committee (ISBC) and will extend also to all FEI competitions. Historically, under a Memorandum of Understanding between the FEI and the WBFSH, only member stud books of the WBFSH have been credited, as that organisation's members specifically breed horses for the Olympic disciplines.

Dr. Paull Khan, Secretary-General of the EMHF and a member of the Steering Group of the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR), said, “Much effort is made around the world to encourage the owners of retired racehorses to explore second careers for them. This recognition will both further the message that Thoroughbreds do go on to compete with distinction in other equestrian disciples and prompt more Thoroughbred owners to consider this retirement option for their racehorses.”

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Eventing Study: Specific Factors Increase Odds Of A Fall During Cross-Country Phase

Falls during the cross-country phase of eventing competition can be dramatic, both visually and in terms of the potential for injury to both horse and rider. A Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI)-funded study sought to determine which factors increased the risk of a fall.

Drs. Euan Bennet and Tim Parkin of Bristol Veterinary School spearheaded the study. The duo used data from every horse-and-rider team who started in International, Championship, Olympic, or World Equestrian Games competition between January 2008 and December 2018.

In total, 202,771 horses competed in this timeframe, with 187,602 beginning the cross-country phase. Of these, 1.5 percent reported a fallen horse and 3.5 percent had an unseated rider.

The scientists reported that the following may contribute to a fall:

Horses competing at higher levels
Horses whose previous start was more than 60 days ago
Horses with minimal starts at their current competition level
Horses competing over longer cross-country courses
Horses with more competition in the cross-country phase
Mares were at increased odds of falling compared with geldings

Research into the riders showed that:

Male athletes showed increased odds of experiencing a fall
Younger athletes were more likely to fall
Horse-athlete combinations who recorded a score in the dressage phase that was higher than 50 (i.e. poor performance) showed increased odds of falling during the cross-country phase
Less experienced athletes were more likely to fall
Athletes whose previous start was more than 30 days ago demonstrated increased odds of a fall
Athletes who did not finish their previous event, for any reason, showed increased odds of a fall

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Modifications to reduce the risk of injury to both horse and rider have been suggested. These include adjusting minimum eligibility requirements (MERs) to ensure horses and riders are competing at appropriate ability levels.

The scientists hope the FEI will utilize this research to create evidence-based eventing rules that protect horse and rider safety as well as competitiveness.

New App Allows For Real-Time Equine Temperature Monitoring, Location Dissemination And Data Sharing

Merck Animal Health has announced its strategic partnership with Irish-based technology company EquiTrace Ltd., creators of the EquiTrace™ platform. Through the EquiTrace smartphone app, the entire horse care team can securely update and access each horse's GPS location and medical record in one convenient location. The app also works in conjunction with Merck Animal Health's Bio-Thermo® microchips, allowing horse care professionals to instantly read, graph and monitor a horse's temperature.

“This partnership is a natural extension of our commitment to delivering innovative infectious disease management solutions to support improved horse care,” said Ron McDaniel, Director of U.S. Equine Sales, Merck Animal Health. “By enabling convenient digital temperature monitoring, we're able to make life easier for busy veterinary and farm teams while providing them with tools to help efficiently identify illness and monitor disease outbreaks.”

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EquiTrace, which can be used with individual horses or at large barns, is compatible with any microchip but must be coupled with a Bio-Thermo microchip to access the temperature-sensing functionality. Bio-Thermo microchips measure a horse's temperature within one-tenth of a degree[1] and provide access to a horse's identification. Both the EquiTrace app and Bio-Thermo microchips work with the Global Pocket Reader Plus™ and the HomeAgain® UWSR+ microchip readers, and the EquiTrace app is available for iPhones or Androids. In addition, the Bio-Thermo microchip is compliant with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standards 11784 and 1178 and meets requirements of both the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF).

“We are excited to partner with Merck Animal Health to bring EquiTrace to the U.S.; the technology streamlines health recordkeeping, a task that has traditionally been hard to maintain in busy barns,” says EquiTrace founder Kevin Corley, BVM&S, PhD, DACVIM, DACVECC, MRCVS. “The combination of Bio-Thermo microchips with our software enables rapid identification of temperature fluctuations in a horse at the stroke of a microchip scanner. This is essential to managing infectious diseases, such as equine herpesvirus, influenza and strangles. As an internal medicine specialist, I'm delighted to contribute to a novel temperature monitoring system that's effective without stressing the horse or the barn team.”

EquiTrace data is encrypted, and each barn's data is private. The EquiTrace account owner authorizes others to access data securely through the app. All EquiTrace functions are available with no internet connection for easy access at the barn or on the road. New data is synced when the app is opened with internet connection. To download EquiTrace, visit the App Store or Google Play.

U.S. Showjumper Receives 10-Year Suspension For Shocking Show Horses

Jumper Andy Kocher, who has represented the United States in multiple international competitions, has received a 10-year suspension for using electric spurs on his horses. The ban was initiated by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the international governing body of horse sport.

An investigation was launched after the FEI was informed that Kocher had used an electric shock device on horses in multiple competitions. The FEI considers shocking a horse in any manner horse abuse.

The FEI Tribunal has suspended U.S. Jumping athlete Andrew Kocher for 10 years and disqualified him from eight events between June 2018 and November 2019 for using electric spurs on horses. The athlete has also been fined approximately US$11,000 and ordered to pay costs of approximately US$8,255.

The FEI Legal Department notified the athlete on June 29, 2020, that an investigation had been opened following allegations about electric spur use reported to the independent Equestrian Community Integrity Unit (ECIU). It was alleged that Mr. Kocher had used electric spurs on a number of FEI registered and national horses in international and national events, and during training.

Following the investigation, the FEI formally opened disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Kocher in October 2020. He was provisionally suspended on October 28, 2020 pending a hearing before the FEI Tribunal, and this period will be credited against the full suspension, meaning that the athlete is ineligible through to October 27, 2030.

During the suspension the athlete is barred from participating in or attending, in any capacity, including as a spectator, any competition or event that is authorized or organized by the FEI or any National Federation.

The sanctions also include disqualification of all results obtained at events for which the FEI Tribunal was provided with photographic evidence establishing the athlete's use of electric spurs. The eight events are: CSI4* Hickstead (GBR), 21-24 June 2018; CSI3* Lexington (USA), 14-18 May 2019; CSI2* Lexington (USA), 22-26 May 2019); CSI5* Calgary (CAN), 5-9 June 2019; CSI5* Calgary (CAN), 27-39 June 2019; CSI3* Traverse City (USA), 7-11 August 2019; CSI3*-W Columbus (USA), 2-6 October 2019; and CSI4*-W Toronto (CAN), 5-9 November 2019.

These sanctions form the operative part of the FEI Tribunal decision. The full reasoned decision will be published here in due course. Parties can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the full decision.