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Is there much drug testing in eventing?

Eventing
#21

[QUOTE=JER;8309935]

When I lived in California, my horses were tested several times, especially the horse that wouldn’t pee unless he was on grass or shavings and not if anyone was watching. :smiley: I’d tell the tested just to take blood, that urine collection wasn’t going to happen, but they’d usually insist on holding the horse for far too long (an hour, when he needed to go do SJ or XC) and say things like ‘I can always get them to pee.’ No, you can’t. I really don’t mind drug testing at all but I do mind hijacking a horse for an hour during a show when I’ve already explained the situation and requested a blood test.[/QUOTE]

This would be my fear with my most current mount… I’ve owned him for nearly two years and have seen him pee ONCE. He is shy when it comes to urination - I’ve come upon him more than one occasion getting ready to pee and he sees me and quickly puts himself away and won’t go even if I give him time to. I felt bad a few weeks ago, was getting ready to go to a hunter pace that I knew would be a MINIMUM of three hours… and I saw him getting ready to pee so I froze… and tried to slowly back away undetected… Unfortunately he heard me, swung his broad head around and then quickly tucked himself up. If we got pulled for a urine sample I honestly doubt you’d be able to get him to pee in the presence of another human.

I wonder though, and showing my lack of knowledge here… is not getting blood way easier than a urine sample? I would think that would be the more practical solution, less wait, not as dirty, etc.

#22

Luckily in the US they can take blood, and usually do after 45mins, from my experience.

In Canada, they don’t take blood, a vet is never on site. Unless its FEI.

#23

In area 1, I see the drug testers regularly. I went through about the first 8 years of eventing without ever getting tested, but I seem to attract them more now as I’ve been tested 3 or so times. They always say they have some random criteria like every third horse or horses with socks.

I think, at least in Area 1, it may be that we have a few vets that want to do the shows. I feel like I asked a vet about this once and he told me that they get paid quite nicely to do them, but it’s a long day away from the practice and a lot of work.

#24

Thanks for the link. I didn’t see a single 2015 USA FEI event on that list, including Rolex. I didn’t look at previous years.

#25

One horse of mine was tested regularly in the hunters. We would get back to the stall and he would immediately pee and the tester could go on with their day. I always wondered if he had a reputation as a good test candidate.

1 Like
#26

[QUOTE=Badger;8309977]
Thanks for the link. I didn’t see a single 2015 USA FEI event on that list, including Rolex. I didn’t look at previous years.[/QUOTE]

Also no dressage or endurance or showjumping-- and that’s not just for the US, it’s for North and South America, Australia, and Asia as far as I can tell.

#27

I was tested 4 times one year. The guy laughed the 5th time he drew me and said I’m Picking someone else lol I usually get hit once a year.

The tester guy said they pick at random but if the horse looks like nothing special he picks again because they want to test horses and riders who look like they will continue up the levels.

I’m in Ontario.

#28

Blood costs more to analyze, the tests run $500-$1500 per year here in Canada.

#29

Interesting, I get tested a lot, do we think it’s not random?

In the last 4 years I was tested Marlborough, 2x at Seneca Valley, MDHT, Waredaca (interestingly I live in VA and event there was well, but tests were always in MD). All but 1 of those were with the same T/P horse, who thankfully loves to pee at shows.

#30

He told me the initial number drW is random but then they can pass and draw again.

#31

I`ve only been tested once and the tester told me he was picking all the smaller horses because the entrance through the barn to the drug test stall was quite low and more suitable for horses under 16 hands.
An hour later we were released … no way was my girl going to pee in a cup on a long stick held by a stranger!

#32

The Joys of an OTTB, they tend to pee every time they’re in the stall, or at least by whistle.

#33

My horse has been tested a couple of times of the last few years. I usually joke around with the tester that they pulled me because my name on entries shows up with DVM after it. I also heckle them about their blood draw technique :wink:

1 Like
#34

[QUOTE=beowulf;8309860]
Just curious, how is the random pick selected?

I’ve never had my horse[s] tested… meanwhile, every event I go to, it seems the competitor NEXT to my horse (be it stall or trailer) is whisked off for testing![/QUOTE]

We just happened to be the next horse to cross the testers path walking back from XC.

ETA That the tester did wait for an hour for urine and the vet to take blood. We were told blood is mandatory and the only way blood can not be taken is if the horse is dangerous. However, urine can be written off the test card if they wait so long.

#35

[QUOTE=LadyB;8310178]
The Joys of an OTTB, they tend to pee every time they’re in the stall, or at least by whistle.[/QUOTE]

Funny, after more than fifteen years of owning nothing but OTTBs, I’ve never, ever, had one pee by whistle. Some would pee when you put them on shavings but I always teased my ponies for not being trainable enough to pee on command… :lol:

#36

[QUOTE=beowulf;8310210]
Funny, after more than fifteen years of owning nothing but OTTBs, I’ve never, ever, had one pee by whistle. Some would pee when you put them on shavings but I always teased my ponies for not being trainable enough to pee on command… :lol:[/QUOTE]

hahaha no way!! Now I’ve only owned two, and worked with thousands at a race farm, but my two luckily pee pretty quickly. Depending on the weather too. This past weekend my little mare was tested, didn’t know what to expect and she pee’d within 10 minutes of being in the stall and about 3 minutes of whistling.

Maybe its just luck though :smiley:

#37

When I evented in Area 9, at several events the testers were hanging around right after the finish of XC. Saw them often. Never heard of a positive result, though.

I have to say, eventing is the only horse sport where I’ve seen people volunteering to be tested! Because their horse was an easy pee-er. In the scrum of testers and horses just after the XC finish: “Hey, he’s dropping, tester come on over quick!”

Mine has been tested twice - this is LL’s. Once because he was one that dropped a few minutes after crossing finish, while I was hanging around waiting for a barn mate to finish. The other time we were chosen after XC finish and they followed us back to the stall while I went on with cleaning him up. Never dropped, they finally drew blood.

[QUOTE=Badger;8309808]
It would be interesting to test the needles collected in sharps containers to see just what exactly is being injected at shows.[/QUOTE]

I’ve never seen a sharps container at a horse trials, and I wander around alot because I enjoy seeing what everyone else is doing. Maybe I just didn’t have access to where the big trainers kept it, though. :slight_smile:

Personally, I think there is a limit to what pain meds can do for cross-country, it is so demanding. Especially as you go up the levels. Of course I can’t say I know much, if anything, about doping horses. But a small enough dose to not show up on a test - I can’t imagine that would help the horse enough for XC.

In eventing there are strong incentives not to event hurting horses, because it’s unlikely they will hold up for long. Eventing is not just a horse show, it is a very demanding test of endurance as well as skill - even the short format.

#38

[QUOTE=JER;8309935]
If anyone wants to get an idea of the frequency of testing at the FEI levels (and also who was tested), the FEI keeps a list here: Negative Results FEI.

If it’s human doping that interests you, USADA publishes a list of athletes tested here. You enter the sport and the year and they’ll give you names of those tested. There is relatively little testing of equestrian athletes, probably because testing is expensive to administer and equestrian sport is not considered a hotbed of human PEDs.

When I lived in California, my horses were tested several times, especially the horse that wouldn’t pee unless he was on grass or shavings and not if anyone was watching. :smiley: I’d tell the tested just to take blood, that urine collection wasn’t going to happen, but they’d usually insist on holding the horse for far too long (an hour, when he needed to go do SJ or XC) and say things like ‘I can always get them to pee.’ No, you can’t. I really don’t mind drug testing at all but I do mind hijacking a horse for an hour during a show when I’ve already explained the situation and requested a blood test.[/QUOTE]

Nice to know they rarely test equine athletes. If by some random, weird, miracle I ever reached a level to be qualified for testing, I would have to figure out some other way to control my asthma. Stupid. I guess I should be thankful for my lack of athleticism and skill?

My gelding was tested 3 times the year before I bought him, and tested at my first rated show with him. I have no idea why he seems to get picked often, but I was told just open a new bag of shavings and he will immediately pee - but otherwise he’ll hold it and they’ll have to take blood.

#39

They’re there, USEF rules. IIRC, There has to be at least one and then one per 50 stalled competitors.

#40

[QUOTE=netg;8310263]
If by some random, weird, miracle I ever reached a level to be qualified for testing, I would have to figure out some other way to control my asthma. [/QUOTE]

Probably not.

If you need to use specific banned/threshold substances, you can get a TUE – Therapeutic Use Exemption. This isn’t difficult but you do need a doctor to sign off on it.

Also, different sports have different banned substances. For example, alcohol is not banned in equestrian sports but is banned in karate. Betablockers, which prevent your heart rate from increasing, aren’t banned in equestrian, but they very much are in shooting, where they give a clear advantage.

There’s a very useful website, Global DRO, that helps you navigate what is banned or controlled in your sport.

(I occasionally have to do anti-drug education courses for my coaching certification in another sport. :))

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