“doping is fundamentally contrary to the spirit of sport“ -Federation Equestre Internationale  (2010)

Doping refers to the enhancement of performance by the administration of drugs or other substances. Humans have been striving to gain leverage upon their competition in sport for years, records of diet tracking in athletes have been traced by to the ancient games in 668 BC (Holt 2009). Diet tracking may enhance performance, but only within the physiological limitations of the athletes, to push past these limits substance abuse was seen, although it tends to be considered a more modern phenomenon. These ancient extracts were taken from plants, animals, and even humans and used to gain an advantage over the competition (Holt 2009). As the nineteenth century moved into the twentieth the substances used to enhance performance became more refined. The first case of using testosterone, a steroid, as a performance enhancing drug successfully was in an 18 year old racehorse named Holloway in 1941 (Holt 2009). Holloway brought forth the potential of anabolic steroids and opened doors for further drug techniques.

The implementation of performance enhancing drugs created a new generation of games and sports that were no longer comparing the raw skills of athletes. Instead, competitors were performing past their physiological limits, not displaying their strength alone, but strength when combined with unnatural processes. Horse sport was one of the first industries to recognize the negative implications of doping and implement regulations. By as early as 1903 it was outlawed in some horse racing (Yesalis 2001). Other horse disciplines followed suit, and today they are strictly regulated to ensure the integrity of the sport is retained and the animal welfare is maintained at the highest degree.