It is random, but it happens much more often than you think. Been with a rider when the testers turned up at their house on a random Tuesday at 9:30pm as they were getting ready for bed. No competition that weekend either. Frequency depends on your FEI ranking as well. Riders must submit all of their whereabouts for the coming months and keep detailed logs of everything they take, supplements included.
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But what is āmuch more than you think?ā Every competition? Multiple times a competiton? Once a year? What is an actual ballpark figure on the likelihood in your experience for someone as competitive as Buck?
If you watch āIcarusā on Netflix it goes into the Russian doping scandal heavily. I really recommend it if youāre interested in how the system and WADA works.
I also read the Tyler Hamiltonās book on what happened during Lance Armstrongās Tour wins and basically they get tested randomly in between competitions even in the off season, multiple time during a competition - like at different stages of the tour, and after a win. There are also announced and unannounced testing days. The amount of precise scheduling these guys on the tour went through to avoid a positive doping test was insane. They would hide out in different cities if they knew there was a ārandomā testing coming in order to give themselves a few more days so they could have a ācleanā test. From the book, if my memory serves me, testing was pretty frequent with no regular pattern - like could be once a week to a few days right before a competition. Now this was the early 2000s, so not sure if WADA has requested sport governing bodies like the FEI to increase testing or not. I do recommend the book if youāre interested in doping scandals. It does not paint Armstrong in a positive light either, so fair warning.
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Where are the rules saying this? Iāve done two FEI competitions and wasnāt told anything like this.
I believe it depends on your FEI ranking and/or status on lists, so if you are far down the rankings you wouldnāt need to provide.
Ouch.
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I understand that but Iām wondering where it is in the rulebook.
The USEF website has a whole section āclean sportā and links for both Athlete and horse
Honestly, no idea. I let my rider handle that stuff, and I deal with all the horse stuff. Gotta delegate somewhere!
Top 300 in the FEI ranking for Eventing are subject to testing, I think.
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Maybe there was a US snowboarder who failed a urine/cannabis test, but the first and most notorious case involved a Canadian. I believe his first name was Ross.
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That seems unfair. I thought weed was an integral part of snowboarding culture. Testing for pot almost seems like a crime against humanity or a warcrime.
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Not to mention that while cannabis enhances many things, performance is not one of them 
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Iād be interested in knowing the source for this - do you mean out-of-competition testing is only for the top 300?
For in-competition testing, I have always been aware that there is drug testing, because I was informed by those in the know that our horses would be subject to testing - and so would the human athletes. At an FEI event at Galway Downs many years ago (I think 2003), it was part of the competitorsā briefing.
Right there, first 2 paragraphs;
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According to COTH, the drug was prescribed for him by a family physician when he was 12, and heās been obtaining an exemption since 2013. He declined to say the name. The only thing that surprises me is the age. It could be an ADHD med, but has Adderall being around since he was 12? Most drugs prescribed that many years ago for ADHD have been replaced by newer pharmacuticals.
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That was what, in my OP, I was hoping the issue was, a TUE issue.
Iām sure theyāll get it straightened out.
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Ritalin came out way before Adderall and was (and is still) commonly prescribed for children with ADHD. It not the same as Adderall but it is definitely still a stimulant. I think itās more than plausible that the medication worked for him throughout adolescence and heās continued to stay on it.
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I assumed it was a reference to Ritalin, which was definitely around in the 80s and is still widely used today.
If it is, what an absolute kick in the teeth to get suspended because you missed the deadline to file paperwork for your ADHD meds that help you to not miss the deadline to file your paperwork.
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