Historical development of drug testing in Swiss equestrian sports

Abstract

The goal of this study was to describe the development of equine drug testing in horses in Switzerland. This was achieved through evaluation of a film made by the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Basel entitled 'Doping von Rennpferden' [Doping of Race Horses], toxicological detection, 1962', the analysis of doping test results of the Swiss Equestrian Federation and by interviewing individuals of various professions who were involved in equine drug testing at the time. The study compares early and modern methods of drug testing and highlights the changes in the attitude of equestrian athletes, horse owners and the general public toward doping in equestrian sports. The high sensitivity of modern analytical methods allows the detection of drugs at levels considerably below therapeutic concentrations. This has resulted in a shift from zero tolerance for Controlled Medication Substances to the establishment of sub-therapeutic threshold concentrations. The lists of performance-enhancing drugs used in doping are updated continually. It became clear from this work that in the early 1960s, Switzerland played a leadership role in anti-doping in equestrian sports, and that the efforts to keep the sport free of performance-enhancing drugs remain exemplary.