FEI rules
Supportive therapies at FEI events.
What you are allowed to use on your horse at an FEI event, who is allowed to use it, and where. Taken from Chapter VI of the Veterinary Regulations and quoted with the article numbers, so you can check any of it against the original.
Chapter VI · 2026 edition, clean text · Last checked against the 2026 clean text on 26 August 2026.
Is microcurrent allowed at FEI events?
Yes. Microcurrent is listed as a Non-Restricted Supportive Therapy under Article 1062 §1(j), which means the Person Responsible for the horse may carry it out themselves, in the horse's stable.
Electrical current devices — TENS machines, NMES and interferential current — are on the other list. Article 1063 makes them Restricted, so only an FEI-registered Permitted Equine Therapist or a trained veterinarian may use them on your horse.
That difference is about who may carry the therapy out, not about where. Both lists may be used in the horse's stable.
Article 1062
What counts as a Non-Restricted Supportive Therapy?
Eleven therapies are listed at Article 1062 §1. Anything not on the list needs specific approval from the Veterinary Commission or Delegate.
- astatic magnetic equipment / ionic boots
- blow frequency pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) machines
- claser therapy using lasers of classes I to III
- dgeneral massage and general massage equipment
- ecooling equipment
- flight emitting diode (LED) therapy devices
- gcooling and non-electric heating pads
- hkinesiology taping
- ivibration plates
- jmicrocurrent
- klow intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS)
Microcurrent is listed without conditions. PEMF carries a field ceiling and lasers a class ceiling; microcurrent has neither.
Who may carry them out
Persons Responsible, additional Persons Responsible and Support Personnel — and only on horses they are directly responsible for.
The conditions attached
- §3Anything not on the list needs specific approval from the Veterinary Commission or Delegate.
- §4The therapy and its equipment are subject to routine checks by the Veterinary Commission or Delegate, Stewards and other FEI Officials.
- §5PEMF machines are permitted only below 0.1 Tesla.
- §9May be carried out in the horse's stable.
Article 1063
What counts as a Restricted Supportive Therapy?
Six are listed at Article 1063 §1. They are not banned — they are limited to people the FEI has registered for them.
- aelectrical current devices — TENS machines, NMES and interferential current
- btherapeutic ultrasound therapy
- cvacuum therapy
- ddiathermy, radiofrequency or TECAR
- ephysical therapies — physiotherapy, acupressure, trigger point massage, myofascial release, osteopathy, chiropractic and spinal manipulation
- ffocused massage portable devices, such as a massage gun
Who may carry them out
A Permitted Equine Therapist approved by the FEI for that specific therapy, or a Permitted Treating Veterinarian who has undergone specific training in it.
The conditions attached
- §1(b)Therapeutic ultrasound is the one exception: a Person Responsible or Support Personnel may carry it out with the prior written permission of a Permitted Equine Therapist or Permitted Treating Veterinarian.
- §3The therapy and its equipment are subject to routine checks.
- §4The Veterinary Delegate may refuse a restricted therapy where the horse's welfare would be compromised.
- §6May be carried out in the horse's stable.
- §7Must not be carried out on horses on the Field of Play.
Article 1064
Who may carry out acupuncture?
Article 1064 treats it separately from both lists.
- Only a Permitted Treating Veterinarian may carry it out, and must supervise the horse for the entire treatment.
- Solid needles only.
- Dry needling may only be carried out by a Permitted Treating Veterinarian.
- May be carried out in the horse's stable, but not on horses on the Field of Play.
Article 1065
What is prohibited outright?
Article 1065 rules these out at FEI events altogether.
- Class IV lasers.
- Electroacupuncture and moxibustion.
- Cryotherapy and shock wave therapy — at the event, and in the five days before it.
- Kinesiology taping outside the FEI Stables Area. Inside it, permitted.
Definitions
Who is who in the regulations?
The rules turn on four defined roles. Getting them the wrong way round is how people get this wrong.
- Person Responsible (PR)Article 1094
- The athlete who rides, vaults or drives the horse at an event. The owner and other support personnel — grooms and veterinarians included — may be additional Persons Responsible if they are present or have made a relevant decision about the horse.
- Permitted Equine Therapist (PET)Article 1093
- A therapist registered with the FEI through their National Federation, recorded against the specific therapies they are trained in, and carrying an FEI identification card.
- Permitted Treating Veterinarian (PTV)Article 1097
- A veterinarian permitted to treat at an FEI event — a team veterinarian, an athlete's private veterinarian, or a treating veterinarian.
- Veterinary Commission / Veterinary Delegate (VC/VD)Article 1106
- The FEI officials who oversee veterinary matters at an event, and who carry out the routine checks both articles refer to.
This page is a summary
The FEI's own text is the rule, and it is revised every January. Where this page and the regulations differ, the regulations are right. Read them before you rely on any of it.
Last checked against the 2026 clean text on 26 August 2026.
B-E-St is a microcurrent device. See what it does.