The FEI has published the revised Equine Prohibited Substances List (EPSL), which will come into effect on 1 January 2027. Below are the key points of the new regulations and the directly available FEI resources.
1. Categories of Prohibited Substances
The FEI makes a strict distinction within the regulations:
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Controlled Medication: Substances with therapeutic value that may be used, but must no longer be present in the horse's body during competitions.
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Banned Substances: Substances with no legitimate veterinary use in horses and/or a very high potential for abuse.
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Specified Substances: Substances from both categories that are more likely to have been inadvertently ingested by the horse (for example, through contaminated feed or the environment).
2. Key Changes Effective from 2027
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To Controlled Medication & Specified: Substances including Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) and Coumarin shift to this category to account for potential environmental contamination.
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New Banned Substances: Substances such as Suzetrigene, Tapentadol, Denosumab, Cariprazine, Nadroparin calcium, SR9009, and the synthetic variant 1-24 ACTH are added as banned substances.
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Reclassification of Metabolites: Nordiazepam and Norfluoxetine are reclassified from Banned to Controlled Medication.
3. Prohibited Methods
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Blood Doping: Withdrawing, manipulating, or re-infusing blood is prohibited (with the exception of life-saving interventions and standard regenerative treatments such as PRP or ACS).
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Gene Doping: The administration of gene editing techniques or genetically modified cells is strictly prohibited.
Changes to the 2026 FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List (EPSL)
