Racing will not follow FEI line on bute, says vet

HORSE racing will not follow the example of the equestrian world, wihch is to permit controlled use of bute and two other anti-inflammatory drugs, says a leading equine vet.

Jenny Hall: FEI decision made "without necessary consultation"

  Picture: Edward Whitaker  

The International EquestrianFederation (FEI) general assembly voted last week to abandon its zero-tolerance policy and reintroduce after 20 years the controlled use of bute, otherwise known as phenylbutazone, and the anti-inflammatory flunixin and salicyclic.

Lambourn-based Jenny Hall, who apart from a daily involvement treating racehorses, is the veterinary services manager for the 2012 Olympics, said she was surprised by the decision and could envisage no crossover to racing.

She said: "In the equestrian world this is a decision which has come about very quickly without the necessary consultation. It is a massive change."

Hall said she was confident bute would not be legalised within racing, adding: "You must remember we are talking about two very different horse populations. They're as different as apples and oranges.

"The elite sport horse tends to be elderly, whether it be for eventing, dressage or showjumping, and they tend to suffer wear of joints, particularly with arthritis."

Hall said that although certain racing jurisdictions within the US allowed the use of bute when racing, none permitted the use of bute plus flunixin and salicyclic - as the FEI has allowed.

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