thats the point. The person who made that post was saying why pay a drug fee when people who get caught Are let off. May as well not test at all if there’s no penalty.
If there is a fee but no penalty then the fee would appear to be just for show. Now I don’t think that’s the intent but the lack of serious penalties is shameful.
You may be surprised…try it a few times and see what happens. It just takes one to start it, and very soon there will be more. By doing so, exhibitors/owners/trainers will have a way to express their disgust with the repeated drugging and cheating done by one of their fellow USEF members. It’ll be very telling to see who participates, and who doesn’t.
I guarantee you that if some kind of protest like that happens, there will be people saying they honestly didn’t know of her numerous suspensions for drugging horses, which is probably true. Well, now they know, because it’s been made public in a very open way.
Optics FTW! When people stay away the shows KF/GL go to, it’s not just the show venue that will be affected but the tack stores, photographers, restaurants, hotels, apartment rentals, farm rentals, retail stores, etc.
Venture to say that the majority of USEF members don’t show at the shows L and K attend anyway. They are at the East Coast AA circuits, rarely farther west then the KHP. It is a meaningless gesture unless the owners and trainers attending those elite level shows want to boycott them, including skipping Derby Finals, Pre Green Incentive and various Medal qualifiers Regionals and Finals. Don’t think volunteering somebody’s kid to sit out a Finals to protest somebody else’s injunction or delay tactics against a USEF ruling is going to prove anything. USEF has already found them guilty, again but must abide by the arbitration process and outside court injunctions.
Oh, I can proclaim I’d boycott. But my last AA competitive Hunter is retired and I’m not far behind…empty promise. Even back what we were showing, nobody would miss our threat to sweep the pastels. Don’t know what you’d expect to happen anyway, they’ll just use the legal system to delay or reverse USEF rulings against them and sue the managers who try to keep them away for threatening their ability to earn a living…probably win that too. And don’t kid yourself, they have their supporters out there including those proclaiming publically you can’t show a horse today without “help”.
IMO there is one key that would unlock the mystery of solving this. OWNERS. Don’t buy from them, dont send them horses to train and sell, don’t allow your trainer to so much as e mail them. That is within an owners control. To make that more acceptable to owners, apply much more severe penalties to the OWNERS and the horses points so they want to avoid doing business with them more then they want to win and/or get that high 5 or 6 figure sale price. Especially owners with repeat violations as either sole owner or in various partnerships and LLCs.
Perhaps it’s time for NYT or another major publication to do another front page story…
Exactly what HorseAlter said. Obviously a lot of USEF $$$, that we have funded through all of our fees, have been spent on Kelly and Larry between drug testing, lawyers, arbitrators, etc. It now looks they will get off AGAIN because of the way USEF handled it. I’m tired of supporting these clowns (USEF).
Or, just a thought, what if everyone who is upset over this just didn’t renew their membership and didn’t show. I thought about getting back in the game, but with my limited funds? Why?
LCF has some pretty high legal bills as well. I wonder how much of all this would vanish if the derbies were a pretty ribbon and little else? .
I can’t imagine why anybody would do business with these people.
If what you suggest actually took place, then people who care about the doping problem would abandon horse shows.
The participants would then consist people who do not care, and well established horse dopers would fight with impunity for the prize money and “winning reputation” against their ignominious colleagues.
When he became head of USEF, Mr. Kessler made a great show of wanting to be rid of the complacency regarding horse doping that has been allowed for so long. USEF wants families and amateurs and wealthy people that will fund our international ranks to join in , not to stop showing and walk away. Enough people do that already. If they whole apparatus didn’t seem so sleazy and the horses weren’t drugged, more people would be here and would stay.
Why USEF keeps shooting themselves in the foot in this regard is beyond me. It is not impossible to make enforceable doping rules, to have proper testing procedures or to have effective deterrent (punishment).
Serious anti-doping policy must become an actual priority for USEF. So far USEF has responded (with platitudes) regarding the subject only when there is bad publicity, and when the membership begins making loud noises because they can’t stomach the ineffectual “anti-doping” posturing.
There is plenty of legal and scientific talent available. Just not enough leadership, so far.
Well said Skydy, with the fees we provide them they should have more than adequate funds. They need to provide an explanation for such ineptness
A lot of people care about the doping problem but want to show. If we leave USE that means we don’t show, at least at recognized shows.
As someone else pointed out, an effective tactic would be to refuse to show where Farmer shows. Or, at the very least, to refuse to show in the classes she’s in. If that happened at enough venues, maybe there would be sufficient complaints from vendors, show managers, etc. asking USE to do something about stricter punishments for doping.
That was exactly my point. If their are more people who care about doping than not, the financial impact would be great and the shows would be pretty empty.
My thoughts on this are inline with what findeight said. How many people are at the shows and in the classes with Kelly and Larry? In my opinion, and I haven’t shown the rated shows in many many years, a bigger impact would be made if everyone who was upset over this just didn’t participate in any show period. For me it’s not about communicating to LCF that their way of doing business is deplorable, but to communicate to the USEF that they need to step up their game.
ETA: Not attending shows where LCF is or entering classes Kelly is competing in is a whole lot of people wanting someone else to do something about it.
This won’t happen-they show at WEF and many trainers are dependent on income from showing at WEF for 3 months a year. From what I read in the transcript of the USEF hearing, the horse tested positive for GABA. Both A and B were positive. Now, Sample B when first tested had numbers different than Sample A (the concentration of GABA was different) I thought an expert from the racing industry explained how this can happen…anyone remember that?? Anyway, horses are not supposed to receive GABA. Both samples had GABA. Larry and Kelley had the option to take Sample B to an independent lab to have it tested. They did not. Instead, I feel their lawyer behaved like a criminal defense attorney challenging everything in a slightly hysterical manner (Example-when she began her questioning of one of the vets demanding why he had left a previous position) Anyway, I hope that USEF is ready to be challenged and has their case in order. The horse tested positive for GABA- a banned substance. They never once denied using it but instead put onus on USEF to prove that they had used it. I thought USEF did that. And I hope they are ready to prove it again.
I also hope USEF consider how many infractions should result in a lifetime ban because I don’t want our membership fees used for endless litigation with trainers who refuse to stop drugging horses and try to trick drug testers.
I don’t think people at WEF will boycott the show or classes just because L & K are there. Most people will just carry on & go about their day. To much time & money spent just getting horses to Wellington.
I’m wondering if since these show grounds are privately owned… Does Mark Bellissmo have a say who can show at his facility and who can’t? If he has a say… He could be the one to put his foot down and say they cannot Show at WEF.
yes, he has a say.
Agreed 100% … those of us who have invested in 6 figure horses are not going to let them sit idle and depreciate or possibly fall back in training for several
months, it’s just not practical. When your goals are Devon and Indoors and Derby Finals, that’s not fair or feasible. It’s always the ones who admittedly have been out of the show ring for awhile who suggest this … the modern-day horse industry doesn’t lend itself to a years-long protest or boycott.
Agreed. People who have worked and planned all year to get to WEF are not going to choose not to show or choose to scratch from classes just because Kelly is in their class. Same thing for other big shows. People are not going to sit out on Indoors or Derby Finals to try to make a point.
There does need to be some solution to this, USEF needs to tighten up their testing procedures and give out heftier punishments. Right now the risk of getting caught is worth it to those who drug because they know they may not get caught and if they do its a slap on the wrist.
Mark Bellissimo needs to step up and make a press release stating that anyone with an unresolved drug violation cannot show at his show until the matter is resolved.
This will set a precedent that he cares for the integrity of the Equestrian sport and for the welfare of the horses on his property .
They wouldn’t sit out the very big shows, but might consider sitting out on something in the early or middle part of the season.
I like the idea that someone had for Mark Bellisimo to change his prizelist to state that people with unresolved drug infractions cannot show. That would be awesome if it worked.
Does anyone know if the USE rulebook would allow him to make such a restriction?
I realize it’s late to do that. I’m not suggesting right now, this year. Many people have renewed, paid, gotten to WEF etc. It just seems, that every time drugging comes up these threads start. People bemoan the state of the industry, and then go about their horse showing lives. Absolutely nothing will change.
I get I am a mere peon. I get I have been out of the show ring for a while. People want clients, the USEF wants memberships. So as someone who thought about rejoining, who thought about showing I am not. I am not because I feel all people get is lip service. I feel my dollars are better spent taking lessons and clinics then supporting a governing body who clearly lacks the teeth to sit people down. Why they lack the teeth who knows. I’m still trying to figure out how the USOC is relevant in a non-FEI sport.
Just 0.02 from a nobody. Carry on.
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