SYNEPHRINE
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard
about the serious risks that Teff Hay has caused riders
recently because it has been contaminated with
synephrine. What can be done about it?
By Lisa Lazarus
46 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
EE
THE DANGER HIDING
in your
If you are involved in any capacity in horse sport,
you are most certainly aware of the Equine Prohibited
Substances List (EPSL) and could probably name
many of its forbidden substances. Naturally, stakeholders
expect that this list will be limited to those
substances which are harmful to horses and/or performance
enhancing. Most would also expect the
listed substances to be synthetic and never present
in a horse’s natural environment, especially in hay.
But this is exactly what happened in the case of
synephrine even though it could not have been
anticipated by the FEI, EPSL Group members or any
of its stakeholder groups.
Nine years on from its inclusion in the first ever EPSL,
the number of Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs)
reported for synephrine has soared. But this is not
a sign of a doping epidemic within equine sport.
Instead, these AAFs have been linked to the consumption
of Teff grass hay – a plant which naturally
contains synephrine in some parts of the world. As
such, it would seem that a solution must be forthcoming
to address this issue and protect innocent
individuals from provisional suspensions, disqualification
of results, and accusations of cheating.
Synephrine is a compound found naturally within
certain plants, including the Common rush and
the leaves of citrus trees. It is part of a group of
chemicals termed “alkaloids” – compounds which
are used by plants to defend themselves against
predators and often used by humans for their medicinal
properties.
Although the effects of synephrine have never
been studied in horses, research in humans indicates
that it has weak “adrenergic” properties
(meaning it stimulates adrenaline release and thus
increases heart rate and blood pressure). As such,
the FEI has presumed synephrine can act as a
stimulant in horses and included it on the EPSL as a
Banned Substance.
More specifically, synephrine is classified as a
“Specified Substance” within the Banned Substances,
meaning that the FEI accepts there is a likeli-
hood for it to be ingested for reasons unrelated to
improving sports performance. This provides the FEI
with a greater deal of flexibility when dealing with
AAFs involving synephrine. For example, the FEI are
not obliged to impose provisional suspensions on
Riders when their horses test positive for synephrine,
although they can if they deem it appropriate. The
FEI has used this discretion and has generally chosen
not to suspend riders whose horses test positive
for Synpehrine, which has been a welcome response
for those riders impacted.
If synephrine was a proven stimulant and/or health
hazard for horses, and its natural presence within a
horse’s environment was rare, then I am sure there
would be no debate as to its inclusion within the
EPSL. However, a growing amount of research is
starting to emerge showing this is not the case. If
such research can be expanded, the FEI may be
persuaded to remove it from the EPSL.
One thing everyone is agreed upon is that we cannot
stop all equestrian sports in Mexico, South Africa
and any other country determined to be affected
by synephrine. Instead, the most sensible approach
is to make a compelling case to remove synephrine
from the EPSL altogether. Such a change would be
in the best interests of stables and riders, by allowing
healthy horses to legitimately compete whilst
protecting individual’s reputations from the damage
associated with an AAF. In addition, there is a
strong argument that these changes are in the best
interests of the FEI as the current synephrine caseload
is a drain on resources and removing it would
allow the FEI to focus more time on genuine doping
concerns. But until that happens, do not feed your
horse Teff Hay if it is competing in FEI competition!
At a minimum, be sure to withdraw your horse from
Teff Hay several days before competing in order to
be safe and not sorry.
WHAT IS SYNEPHRINE?
HOW DO WE SOLVE THE
SYNEPHRINE CRISIS?
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TEFF HAY!
EQUINE Health
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