AMENDMENT TO THE GUIDELINES FOR CLASSI- FICATION OF PROHIBITED SUBSTANCES At a meeting of the National Board held on 30 July 2015 , it was agreed that the Guidelines for Classification of Prohibited Substances would be amended by the addition of the following substance classifications : CARBON DIOXIDE ( Total available Carbon Dioxide ) COBALT Accordingly , Carbon Dioxide is classified as a Class 2 substance , a substance which has an obvious effect on a horse . The internationally agreed threshold / concentration applied by the NHA for Carbon Dioxide is 36 millimoles available Carbon Dioxide per litre in plasma . Cobalt is classified as a Class 3 substance , a substance which has the potential to affect the performance of the horse . The internationally agreed threshold / concentration applied by the NHA for Cobalt is 0.1 microgram total cobalt per millilitre in urine .
GENERAL NOTICE African Horsesickness Vaccinations http :// www . nhra . co . za / notices . php Please note that the African Horsesickness Vaccination Scedule has been amended with immediate effect . All foals must be vaccinated against African Horsesickness two times between the ages of 6 and 18 months . These vaccinations must not be less than 30 days apart . ( Previously , the two vaccinations were not to be less than 90 days apart .) Special General Meeting A Special General Meeting of Members took place on 20 April 2016 for the purpose of discussion and voting on the proposed amendments to the Constitution of the NHA . All members , those present at the meeting and those who submitted a proxy , voted in favour of amending the Constitution as was proposed . At the centre of the changes to the Constitution is the change to the composition of the National Board . Going forward , the Racing Operators , the Owners ’ Associations and the Thoroughbred Breeders Association will no longer be entitled to nominate persons to be Directors . The number of Directors serving on the National Board will therefore be reduced to 9 persons . These will be : - 5 persons who are Members in good standing . Trainers , Assistant Trainers , Stable Employees , Jockeys and Apprentice Jockeys may , however , not be Directors ; - 2 Independent persons ; - The Managing Director ( previously known as the Chief Executive ) and the Racing Control Executive . The Directors will all be appointed by a Nominations Committee which must now be established . The Nominations Committee will consist of at least 4 persons who previously served as a Chairperson of the NHA . So , in future , there will no longer be any elections to elect Directors . In the meantime , the Directors who were elected in terms of the Constitution prior to the amendments will remain on the National Board for the remainder of their respective terms . At the end of their respective terms they will resign but will be eligible for re-appointment by the Nominations Committee .
The National Board Directors are : Mr Andrew O ’ Connor ( Chairman ) Mr Cecil Beyleveld Mr J J du Toit Mr Roy Moodley Mr Rodney Trotter Mr Ken Truter Mr Jonathan Witts-Hewinson An objective of the Nominations Committee is to ensure that the Board has persons with the necessary knowledge and skills not only to understand the needs of all stakeholders , but also to act in the best interests of the racing industry . The restructuring is not intended to reduce interaction or discussion between the NHA and the rest of the industry . It is hoped that the changes will result in a National Board which is more effective and efficient and which will enable constructive debate , uninhibited by any conflict of interest .
14 • Equine Health Update •