A new anti-doping course made for grooms

When a horse tests positive for a prohibited substance, the conversation almost always centres on the rider. Yet a great deal of what keeps a horse clean, or accidentally does not, happens long before the rider gets on, in the stable, in the hands of the groom who prepares the feed, applies the ointment and mucks out the bed.

In line with this, the International Grooms Association, working with the support and content approval of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, the FEI, has launched what it describes as the first anti-doping education course designed specifically for grooms. It is called International Groom Clean, it is delivered online through the FEI’s own education platform, and it is meant to be practical rather than technical: a clear guide to understanding and working within the FEI’s clean sport rules. It is in English for now, with French, Spanish and German versions promised shortly. Crucially, the FEI is refunding the association membership fee needed to access it, which means a groom can earn their initial certification at no cost.

Why it matters

According to the association’s executive director, Lucy Katan, research among elite grooms revealed “a concerning lack of confidence” in understanding anti-doping protocols. More tellingly, she noted that accidental contamination by grooms has already led to anti-doping rule violations in FEI horses.

That word, accidental, is the key. It is about the innocent, everyday ways a banned substance can end up in a horse: a human painkiller handled without gloves, a topical cream or liniment that contains something prohibited, a supplement that is not what its label claims, caffeine from a groom’s coffee near the feed, a contaminated bucket or shared bedding. The people best placed to prevent all of that are the ones doing the hands-on work, and until now there has been almost nothing aimed at assisting them. A rider signs the entry, but a whole team is needed to keep the horse clean.

What it means for us in SA

For South African readers, this is useful, but potentially difficult to make full use of yet. Grooms are the backbone of yards across this country, and the riders working toward or competing at FEI level, including our own combinations on the international stage, depend on them entirely. Yet grooms are among the least formally supported people in the sport, rarely the audience anyone writes a course for. This one is aimed directly at them; it is online, and it is free, which removes the two barriers, cost and access, that usually keep this kind of training out of reach. However, language barriers and internet access are likely to cause issues, at least in the short term, here.

There is a professional-recognition angle here too that may become relevant.  A certification like this is a mark of a groom’s professionalism, something that gives riders and owners confidence and gives the groom themselves a credential in a role that too often goes unrecognised. As the FEI’s Áine Power put it, international sport depends on the expertise of grooms, and giving them good resources benefits everyone involved.

Worth flagging

If you run a yard, have a stable manager, employ grooms, or compete at a level where FEI rules apply or soon will, this is worth passing on. It costs nothing, it can be done at home rather than only at shows, and it turns clean sport from something that happens to a groom into something they actively understand and own. For a sport that leans so heavily on the skilled people behind the scenes, a resource built specifically for them is a welcome and overdue thing.

The course is available through the International Grooms Association’s website and hosted on the FEI Campus. Any groom working with FEI horses, whether at events or at home, can take it.