Navigating the Minefield: What Equine Athletes Need to Know About Supplements and the FEI Banned List

Every competitive rider knows the feeling of walking through a tack shop or browsing online feed stores. The shelves are packed with shiny tubs promising shinier coats, calmer minds, looser joints, and faster recovery times.

But if you compete under the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI), those innocent-looking tubs of powder can be an absolute minefield.

Under the FEI’s strict Strict Liability policy, if your horse tests positive for a prohibited substance, you (the Person Responsible) face the consequences—regardless of how it got into your horse's system. There is no "I didn’t know it was in the supplement" defence.

Here is a breakdown of how the FEI list handles supplements, the secret ingredients that trigger positives, and how to protect your horse’s career.

Banned vs. Controlled: Knowing the Difference

The FEI maintains the Equine Prohibited Substances List (EPSL), which splits substances into two distinct categories:

• Banned Substances: These have zero legitimate place in a competition horse and are illegal at all times. Think anabolic steroids, heavy sedatives, or performance-enhancing drugs.
• Controlled Medications: These are substances frequently used in equine medicine that have legitimate therapeutic value (like the NSAID Bute or certain respiratory medications). However, they cannot be active in the horse’s system during competition.

The list is updated regularly, with notable changes taking effect each year. For instance, recent updates rearranged the classification of certain behavioural management substances (like moving Fluoxetine to Controlled) while explicitly solidifying bans on others.

The Hidden Saboteurs in Everyday Supplements

You might think you are safe because you aren’t administering prescription medications, but many over-the-counter supplements contain hidden, natural, or herbal ingredients that will trigger an adverse analytical finding (a positive drug test).

1. Herbal Calmers (The "Natural" Trap)

Many riders look for "drug-free" ways to take the edge off a hot horse, turning to herbal calming supplements. However, many common herbs are strictly prohibited by the FEI because they contain natural sedatives or alkaloids.

• Valerian Root: Contains valerenic acid, acts as a sedative, and is strictly Banned.
• Chamomile & Hops: Both are frequently used in horse calmers but contain active compounds that can trigger a positive test.

2. Pain and Joint Relief

If a supplement claims to "mimic the effects of Bute" or provide revolutionary joint relief without pharmaceuticals, look closely at the botanical ingredients.

• Devil’s Claw: This incredibly common joint supplement contains harpagoside, an anti-inflammatory compound that is classified as a Controlled Medication. You cannot compete with it in your horse's system.
• Willow Bark: Contains salicin, which converts to salicylic acid (aspirin)—another Controlled Medication.

3. Contamination and NOPS

Sometimes the banned substance isn't even written on the label. Cross-contamination at manufacturing plants can introduce Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances (NOPS) into standard feeds and supplements.

• Caffeine & Theobromine: Can enter feed if the facility handles cacao shells or coffee products.
• Synephrine: A powerful stimulant found in certain herbal extracts (like bitter orange) that has caused numerous accidental positives in recent years.

How to Protect Your Horse and Your Integrity

Because the supplement industry is not regulated as strictly as pharmaceuticals, the burden of safety rests entirely on your shoulders. Here is a protocol to shield your stable from accidental positives:

• Step 1 — Every Single Time Check the FEI Clean Sport Database

  Before introducing any new tub, paste, or liquid, search every single ingredient on the label using the official FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database. You can also download the mobile apps for quick checks on the go via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

• Step 2 — Quality Control Look for BETA NOPS Assurance

  Only purchase products from manufacturers that are audited and certified by recognised feed safety schemes, such as the BETA NOPS (in the UK/Europe) or equivalent programmatic drug-screening benchmarks. This ensures the company actively tests batches for accidental contamination.

• Step 3 — Prevent Cross-Contamination Implement Strict Feed Room Hygiene

  Keep human treats like coffee, tea, and chocolate completely out of the feed room. If one horse in the barn is on a therapeutic supplement containing a Controlled Medication, use dedicated feed buckets, separate stirrers, and wash your hands thoroughly before prepping food for horses heading to a show.

• Step 4 — Your Paper Trail Keep Batch Records and Samples

  Log the batch numbers and expiry dates of every supplement you open. Keep a small, sealed sample of feed/supplements from that specific batch in a freezer. If your horse ever faces an adverse analytical finding, this gives you a direct sample to send for independent testing to trace the source of contamination.

The Golden Rule of Clean Sport: When in doubt, leave it out. No supplement is worth a suspension, a ruined reputation, or stripped medals. Work closely with your team veterinarian to build a clean, transparent nutrition plan.