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Horse Supplement Certifications, Explained
If you've looked closely at a Premier Performance pouch or any quality horse supplement, you've probably seen a row of certification logos on the back. They're not just marketing badges. Each one is an independent third-party audit of how the product is made, what's in it, and whether it's safe to feed a horse that competes under FEI or USEF rules.
Here's what each certification actually means.
UFAS APPROVED
What it stands for: Universal Feed Assurance Scheme.
What it covers: UFAS is the British standard for feed-safety traceability. To be UFAS-approved, a manufacturer has to prove they can trace every ingredient — from the original supplier, through the blending facility, into the finished tub on your shelf. The audit covers raw material sourcing, contamination controls, batch labelling, and how the manufacturer would handle a recall.
Why it matters for you: if anything ever did go wrong — a contaminated ingredient, a mis-labelled batch — UFAS-approved manufacturers can identify exactly which tubs are affected and pull them. Non-certified brands can't necessarily do that.
Premier Performance's UFAS certificate number: 89552.
BETA NOPS APPROVED
What it stands for: Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances code, run by the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA).
What it covers: This is the one competition riders care most about. NOPS testing checks finished feed and supplement batches for trace levels of substances that occur naturally in some plants and grains but are banned in competition — caffeine, theobromine, atropine, hyoscine, hordenine, and so on. These can show up unintentionally if a manufacturer's facility also processes other plants, or if raw materials are contaminated upstream.
A NOPS-certified product means the manufacturer has put both their facility and their finished batches through testing to confirm they're below the threshold for FEI and USEF positives.
Why it matters for you: if you compete affiliated, a positive drug test can come from a single contaminated scoop of supplement. NOPS certification dramatically reduces that risk.
Premier Performance's BETA NOPS certificate number: 89547.
CLEAN SPORT ASSURED
What it stands for: Clean Sport is a programme run alongside the BETA NOPS code that adds independent third-party verification.
What it covers: Clean Sport goes a step beyond NOPS by requiring random sampling of finished batches for laboratory testing — not by the manufacturer themselves, but by an independent agency. Clean Sport-certified products carry a verified guarantee that the batch in your tub has been tested by someone who has no commercial interest in passing it.
Why it matters for you: layered third-party verification. NOPS confirms the manufacturer's process. Clean Sport confirms that what came out the other end actually meets the standard.
BETA MEMBER
What it stands for: Membership of the British Equestrian Trade Association.
What it covers: BETA is the trade body for the British equestrian industry. Membership requires manufacturers to commit to a Code of Practice covering product quality, customer service, advertising standards, and fair business conduct. It also gives BETA the authority to investigate complaints against members.
Why it matters for you: it's a signal that the brand has skin in the game with the wider British industry. Not just a marketing claim, there's an organisation that can be contacted if anything goes wrong.
Why we don't stock supplements without these
Savvy stocks supplements we'd feed our own horses. That means competition-clean by default, even if you're not competing, you don't want banned substances in your horse's gut. The four certifications above are the bar Premier Performance clears that some other brands don't.
If you have any questions about the certifications, drop us a line. Charlotte, Premier's in-house vet, also handles compliance questions for free — fill out the form on her Ask the Vet page.