Effective July 8, 2024 – Additional Information about Intra-Articular Injections

Rule 2271(a) reads:

(11) except as set forth in Rule 2271(a)(12), any Covered Horse treated with any intra-articular injection of any joint shall not be permitted to perform a Workout for 7 days following treatment or participate in a Covered Horserace for 14 days following treatment.

(12) notwithstanding Rule 2271(a)(11) and Rule 4222, any Covered Horse treated with any corticosteroid intra-articular injection of the metacarpophalangeal or metatarsophalangeal joint shall not be permitted to perform a Workout for 14 days following treatment or participate in a Covered Horserace for 30 days following treatment.

Further, Rule 4224 reads: “Intra-articular injections of polyacrylamide hydrogels are prohibited within 180 days prior to Post-Time.”

The prohibitions in Rule 2271(a)(11) and (12) apply to substances injected into any articular space, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Orthobiologics (such as IRAP, PRP, stem cell therapy)
• Corticosteroids (such as betamethasone, triamcinolone, isoflupredone)
• Hyaluronic Acid (HA) products (such as Legend I.A., Hy-Visc, Hylartin)
• Antibiotics
• Medical devices (such as Spryng)
• Anesthetics (such as mepivacaine)

The intra-articular administration of any Banned Substance, such as stanozolol, constitutes an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.

These stand-down times do NOT apply to injections in or around the following structures:

• Sacro-iliac areas
• Bursae
• “Splints”
• Proximal suspensories
• Tendon sheaths
• Epaxial muscle

Injections in or around these structures will be regulated through testing under HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program.  For many of these administrations, a withdrawal interval greater than 14 days may be necessary to avoid detection in a treated horse’s collected sample.