Horse Health Requirements for ‘Athletes & Grooms’

All professional workers in the equestrian world are now aware that as of January 1^st 2022 Horse Health Requirements are to be enforced as stated in the regulations clearly set out on the FEI website (inside.fei.org). These rules do not only apply to institutions, authorities and veterinary services. In fact, the Horse Health Requirements imply a significant commitment from grooms and athletes who must rigorously respect such procedures for every single horse. Any negligence will result in sanctions being applied.

Therefore, this is a great responsibility and a duty to be complied with very attentively by both athletes and grooms who study with great attention and fully understand the procedures, the implementation of which must become routine for every single horse and every show. The following is an extract from the Horse Health Requirements and contains a direct link to the FEI website providing full information concerning all the details in the ‘Horse Health Requirements for Athletes & Grooms’.

Under the FEI Veterinary Regulations 2022 the Horse Health Requirements are being rolled out globally as of 1 January 2022. Derived from the EHV-1 By-Laws, applied in Mainland Europe from 31^st May to 31^st December 2021, the Horse Health Requirements have been put in place to:

protect FEI Horses and global equestrian sports from the consequences of infectious diseases being transmitted before, during and after FEI Events.
provide reassurance of equestrian sport horses’ high health to global, continental and national veterinary authorities and organisations.
maintain and further improve the conditions for international movement of sport Horses.

When and where do the Horse Health Requirements apply?

In accordance with Art. 1029 and 1031 of the FEI 2022 Veterinary Regulations , as of 1^st January 2022, ALL Horses competing at ALL FEI Events must fulfil the Horse Health Requirements via the FEI HorseApp

Who is concerned by the Horse Health Requirements?

Athletes, Grooms, FEI Veterinarians, FEI Officials, Organising Committees, Trainers and Owners all need to be aware of the Horse Health Requirements.

How do we fulfil the Horse Health Requirements?

All Stakeholders must use the FEI HorseApp to fulfil the requirements in under the FEI 2022 Veterinary Regulations . Athletes, Grooms, Owners etc. must fulfil the Horse Health Requirements for each Horse that will be present at an FEI Event.

All the details at this link: https://inside.fei.org/fei/horse-health, section: Horse Health Requirements for Athletes & Grooms.

The importance of vaccinations

Vaccinations are not just a merely formal procedure but an act of responsibility of the utmost importance to protect our horses’ health.

Some viruses are widely present at a global level. Among them, there are the Equine Influenza virus and Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1). Outbreaks of diseases caused by these viruses depends on the equine population taken into account. The risk is high among horses that compete frequently. The spreading of viruses occur not only through direct contact with a sick horse but also through equipment, transport vehicles and also people who ‘act’ as real virus transporters.

The risk of catching these diseases remains very high when horses are often moved and/or taken to promiscuous locations (competitions, races, fairs, events or stud farms). We should ask our vets for current information on any eventual updates concerning strains to protect our horses’ health.

According to the most recent updates provided by the authorities, the vet will decide which vaccine is most appropriate for our horse. However, the virus frequently mutates, and it is therefore necessary for vaccinations to be updated with effective viral strains based on the virus’ mutation and its circulation.