Horse Feed Safety Made Simple: What You Need to Know About BETA NOPS®

When it comes to feeding horses—especially those that compete—what goes into their feed matters a lot. Some ingredients that seem harmless can actually be dangerous or banned in equestrian sport. That’s why the BETA NOPS® Code was created.

Let’s walk through what this means in easy-to-understand terms.

What is BETA NOPS?

BETA NOPS® stands for Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances. These are things that can turn up in horse feed by accident—like leftovers from certain plants or ingredients that might seem safe to humans but are harmful to horses.

These substances can make a horse sick or lead to a failed drug test in competition—even if they were only in the feed in tiny amounts.

What Kind of Ingredients Are Not Allowed?

BETA splits risky ingredients into two main categories:

❌ Excluded Materials (Never allowed in NOPS-compliant feeds)

These are too risky and are banned completely from feeds that carry the BETA NOPS® label. Examples include:

• Bakery and biscuit leftovers (like biscuit meal)

• Chocolate, sweets, coffee, and tea products

• Grain by-products (called screenings)

• Poppy seed and straw (from the opium poppy plant)

• Hemp seed, oil, fibre or plant material

• Bitter orange

• Lupins (if not carefully checked)

• Certain herbs like Indian Snakeroot (used in some traditional herbal remedies)

• Teff hay (a type of grass hay that can be risky)

You won’t find the BETA NOPS® logo on any feed that includes these.

Sensitive Materials (Can be used—but only with caution)

These ingredients might be okay if the feed company does a thorough risk check first. They include:

• Canary grass or seed

• Sprouting grains

• Some herbs used in natural remedies:

  • Devil’s Claw

  • Willow Bark (used like aspirin)

  • Meadow Sweet

  • Valerian (used to calm nerves)

These herbs sound natural—and they are! But some contain natural drugs that can affect a horse’s performance or health, especially in competition.

🌿 What About Herbal Ingredients?

Yes, there’s a special list called Herbal NOPS that includes herbs known to have natural drug-like effects. Here are some of the main ones and why they’re on the watch list:

These aren’t always harmful in small doses, but in a sport setting, they can cause issues and even lead to a positive drug test.

🏷️ What Should Horse Owners Look For?

If a feed is BETA NOPS® certified, it means the company follows strict rules to avoid these risky ingredients. You might see a BETA NOPS® logo on the feed bag—that’s a good sign!

If a product contains any of the risky stuff mentioned above, it won’t have the logo and should say something like:

“Not for use in competition”
or
“Withdraw X days before competing”

This helps you know when to stop using it so it doesn’t affect your horse on competition day.

🐎 Why It All Matters

Whether you’re aiming for gold or just love your horse like family, you want to keep them healthy and out of trouble. By understanding what ingredients to avoid and looking for feeds that follow the BETA NOPS® Code, you’ll be doing your part to keep your horse safe, sound, and sport-ready.