What are the regulations governing equestrian gatherings

Horse gatherings, already numerous and varied, are on the rise. Just taking the example of equestrian competitions governed by the French federation, there were 130 000 classes organised in 2015, which is a 140% rise compared to 2005. Horses are therefore particularly at risk with regard to their sanitary status, due to these frequent trips involved in their career and to the potential contamiation cycle linked to their movements. Moreover the equine sector is very polymorphic : it is composed of professionals and amateurs, top level equine athletes alongside leisure animals with different levels of regular sanitary follow up. With this in mind, it is important to respect strict sanitary measures to prevent the spread of an epidemic, but it is also difficult to come up with universal sanitary rules suitable for the diversity of the sector.

During a gathering, horses from very different structures, with different sanitary practices, come into contact, which can promote transmission of contagious diseases and their spread over the territory. The appearance of contagious disease can have a considerable economical impact on the horse sector (e.g. shows cancelled, quarantine and box rest for the horses affected…) and/or serious consequences on the horses’ health. It is vital that the running of a show does not generate situations where there is a sanitary hazard.

There are different levels of organisation, and therefore of sanitary guarantees and respect of the regulations between shows organised under the aegis of institutions such as federations or breeding societies who will be looking to control sanitary risk, and other organisers who will not impose any restrictions.

Gatherings are all subject to the same regulations, which fall under different levels :

European rules
National regulations
Departmental or regional regulations
Maybe even regulations or a code, specific to certain activities, or even specificied by an organising committee’s rules

There is a hierarchy in the implementation of these rules : national rules prevail over local regulations which in turn prevail over specific organising committee rules.

Diagram n°1 : Regulations relative to equine gatherings

European and national regulations

National regulations are for the main part drawn up within the Rural and Maritime fishing laws. These regulations are very general and are not specific to gatherings. The main themes are the following :

Horse identification

For more informations, see fact sheet concerning equine identification.

Regulation references	Aim
European regulations 2021/963 CRPM ⇒ articles L2012-9 and D212-47 Ministerial decree 26 April 2013, regarding horse identification Ministerial decree 21st May 2004, relative to horse identification and insertion of a microchip	A properly identified horse : Has been microchipped. Has an identification document complying to European standards. Is registered in the SIRE (identification sytem for equids) database (and therefore has a SIRE number). There is an exemption for foreign horses who should be registered in the SIRE database within two months after they arrive on French soil.
Ministerial decree dated 6th June 2002, regarding registration on the list of sport horses, identity and vaccination verification	Any horse registered on the sport horse list (taking part in federal competitions (FFE and SHF)) should be vaccinated for equine influenza.

Protection of horses

For more information, see fact sheets concerning regulations relative to the protection and respect of the animal and doping, good practices to be respected.

Regulation references	Aim
CRPM ⇒ articles L241-1 to L241-4, L214-17 and R214-18 Ministerial decree dated 25th October 1982, regarding breeding, care and custody of animals	Definition of standards and technical specifications regarding animal protection	Horses present at a gatherings should be : In good health and well cared for Watered and fed according to their needs during the show Given accomodation in good conditions Tacked up with equipment in good conditions Non-doped
CRPM ⇒ articles L215-11 and R215-4 Penal code ⇒ articles L521-1, R654-1 and R655-1	Penal measures in the case of bad treatment
CRPM ⇒ article R214-48-1 Sport code ⇒ articles A322-116 to A322-140 Ministerial decree dated 30th March 1979, relative to conditions to be respected for establishments open to the public for the use of horses	Monitoring of establishments open to the public for the use of horses
Sports code ⇒ article L241-2 Ministerial decree dated 2nd May 2011	Banning of animal doping

Transport of horses

For more information, see the fact sheet regarding general regulations concerning horse transport.

Regulation references	Aim
European regulations 1/2005 CRPM ⇒ articles R214-49 to R214-59 and R231-11 Ministerial decree dated 5th November 1996, regarding protection of animals during transport	Concerns the transport of horses as an economic activity : Is the horse fit to be transported. Compliance of the vehicle to horse well-being during transport. Administrative authorisations concerning the transport of live animals. Transport register or log book, depending on the duration of transport.

Declaration of the premises where horses are stationed

For more information, see the fact sheet regarding declaration of premises where horses are stationed.

Regulation references	Aim
CRPM ⇒ articles L212-9 and D212-47 Ministerial decree dated 26th july 2010, giving the terms and conditions for the declaration to be submitted by custodians of horses and the premises	The premises where horses are to be kept should be decalred to the IFCE before the horses arrive on the premises.

Farming register

For more information, see the fact sheet regarding breeding or horse husbandry register.

Regulation references	Aim
CRPM ⇒ article D212-47 Ministerial decree dated 5th June 2000, relative to the breeding and horse husbandry register	Obligation for anyone who has horses in his custody to keep a breeding and horse husbandry register.

Appointing a sanitary veterinarian

For more information, see the fact sheet regarding sanitary veterinarian.

Regulation references	Aim
CRPM ⇒ article L203-1 and R203-1 Ministerial decree dated 23rd July 2012, relative to the sanitary veterinarian work conditions Decree n°2012-843 dated 30th June 2012, relative to modernisation of the veterinary tasks of practicians holding a sanitary mandate	Designating a sanitary veterinarian to the local authorities DDPP when organising a gathering.

Prefectoral (local) regulations

Equestrian gatherings are usually subject to prefectoral (local) regulations, which can vary depending on the region. A local decree (Arrêté Préfectoral = AP), formalises the local regulations, which are based on the national obligations stated above, to which local specific provisions may be added. The AP is drawn up by the DDPP (Direction Départementale de la Protection des Populations = Local authority for the protection of the population) previously known as DSV (Direction des Services Vétérinaires = Local veterinary service) and signed by the prefect of the Department concerned.

When there is no AP, it is the national rules which apply.

In July 2017, a technical instruction relating to « the general conditions to be applied when organisisng an equestrian gathering and a template of a local decree » was sent to the different DDPPs by the National DGAL (Direction Générale de l'Alimentation = General direction of food). This instruction was designed to promote harmonisation of the APs over the national territory.

The main items on these APs, which are not part of the national regulations are the following :

Declaration of the gathering	Each gathering must be declared by the organiser to the local DDPP. The time frame is that it should be declared 30 days before the event. A declaration form is filled in.
Designating the person in charge of controls	Declaring the name(s) of the person or persons in charge of controls, under the responsibility of the sanitary veterinarian, is sometimes requested.
Drawing up the rules of the event	The organiser is sometimes requested to draw up a set of rules and should inform the DDPP when the declaration is submitted.
Tasks of the sanitary veterinarian	The decree will lay out the tasks of the sanitary veterinarian on the day of the gathering. It ensures respect of the regulations with regard to : Health of the horses Identification of the horses Vaccination against equine influenza Respect of animal protection
Vaccination against equine influenza	In the AP (local decree), the obligation to vaccinate is sometimes extended to all equids present at the show, and not only those taking part in federal competitions.

Rules specific to the gathering itself

Drawing up a set of rules is a way of organising health and safety for a show or gathering. The equestrian governing bodies have always upheld sanitary rules in their regulations and set up sanctions when these rules are not respected. The specific rules are sometimes made compulsary by local decree. It is reommended to have a set of rules for these gatherings, as these are a guarantee of the reliability. Here are some examples :

Trotting and gallop racing	A horse taking part in races cannot be vaccinated in the four days leading up to the event.
SHF rules	A code of conduct with a view to improving horse well-being during the gatherings has been added to the rules.
Gallop racing code	The whip used by the jockeys has to comply to the required length.

These regulations concern the organisers of shows and gatherings, but also the participants who should respect the obligations, and who are held reponsible and fined if a discrepancy is noted during a check either by the local authorities or by an IFCE agent.