Horses that are on the drug pergolide to manage equine Cushing’s disease are now banned from competing in all disciplines that are subject to British anti-doping rules in competitions. The drug is prohibited under international equestrian (FEI) rules, which British Eventing (BE), British Dressage (BD) and British Showjumping (BS) and other bodies including British Riding Clubs signed up to last year.
Pergolide banned in UK competitions
Pergolide mimics the effects of dopamine in the body and is used in the UK to treat Cushing's disease in older horses.
Pergolide mimics the effects of dopamine in the body and is used in the UK to treat Cushing’s — a disease of old age in the horse, which causes a hormonal imbalance.
Equine Cushing’s Syndrome (ECS) has been documented to affect more than 10% of horses over 15 years of age (McGowan, 2003). While the condition is known to affect all horses, ponies have been reported to be more likely to develop ECS (McGowan, 2003). The average age of diagnosis is 19 years while it is rarely seen in horses less than 10 years of age (McGowan, 2005.
The British Equestrian Federation’s (BEF) national equine anti-doping and controlled medication rules committee (BEFAR) had discussed whether a theraputic use exemption (TUE) could be made for pergolide. It would allow owners of horses taking the drug to compete with permission from their vet, but this hope was quashed last week when a firm stand was taken on the ruling against the use of pergolide at all levels of competition.