Some of us have been saying, on this forum and elsewhere, for many years, that the USEF should maintain a searchable database of “vacations” so that clients choosing professionals have definitive data. But alas…
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This is the kind of simple project I do all the time. You could almost certainly get a small contractor or non-profit to do it for less than $50k, depending on the format the old information is in and where it’s located. If it’s scannable and just needs to be checked it’ll be easier than if it needs to be typed in. But I can’t imagine there are that many suspensions? Would be trivially easy for a third party or group to do it if they really wanted to.
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I’m unsure if this incident has been officially reported, but it certainly warrants investigation . In our state, farriers are prohibited from administering sedatives . If a show farrier was involved, it’s crucial that this serious breach of protocol is addressed.
Administering this particular sedative is unlawful for a farrier in the state of Georgia. If the trainer truly suffered a two-month suspension due to the farrier’s actions, they would likely report this to the State Veterinary Board to clear their name. Given the trainer’s history of litigation (and related threats), I’d also expect to see a lawsuit, especially since they claim they were out of town and unaware of the situation, yet the horse was in their custody. Also, you think this trainer would also be warning everyone in Georgia to avoid this farrier, because who would want this to happen to any horse? Yet it’s been painfully quiet in Georgia… I know I don’t want this farrier anywhere near my horse, if this is, indeed, what happened.
This whole situation raises serious questions. This suspension not only harms the horse’s reputation and record but also significantly impacts the trainer’s income . The absence of a reported incident related to the farrier or lawsuit, despite these severe consequences, is perplexing and doesn’t quite add up. Since the finding was in January, that is plenty of time to show in court records.
Edited to add: If this is really what happened, then I would also expect show management from that show not have that farrier back.
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I am sure they have it all in their records - it’s just a matter of getting them to actually publish it.
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He lost his temper when his horse stopped in the International Derby at Upperville last year and yanked it around the place and walloped it with his whip. The whole place was silent. Horrible man
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If you scan all the magazines, AI will read them and make a table for you.
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I don’t know about with USEF but in racing it doesn’t matter if they can prove for a fact that someone else is responsible for the drug getting into the horse’s system the trainer responsibility rules says it’s the trainer’s fault and they will get the suspension. Some rare exceptions have been made for things like grooms being on metformin and accidentally exposing the horse so never say never but for the most part that’s how it works
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I don’t understand why we should have to do this. USEF has all the historical information in their own computers. They could easily restore the information they have hidden from public view if they weren’t trying to protect the trainers who have committed infractions. This is one of many reasons why I have walked away.
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No need to ask me why I know this, but I would be fully prepared for USEF to come down right quick with threats of copyright infringement on any group that made such an effort.
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They’re available on USEF’s website back as far as 2017. The format is not especially reader-friendly, but they do have the suspensions in the back if you dig through them.
That’s how it works in showing as well, and it is the trainer being held responsible. But mitigating circumstances often play a role on the severity of the punishment.
And in the past in racing (I can’t speak for now) we all know of many asst trainers who took the fall for the trainer and got themselves a paid vacation. If that isn’t happening today, it would only be because current rules still require the trainer to be penalized as well.
@atl_hunter all the boldface in the world isn’t going to change reality. Most of us are very familiar with how the regulatory agencies work. But we are also familiar with how short staffed, overworked, underpaid and overwhelmed they are. Most of us understand that usef has literally no ability to compel anyone to talk to them, so they likely have no information to offer. This is rarely a situation they pursue unless the name of the vet was handed to them on a silver platter with sworn statements signed and notarized. But you can keep lecturing us if you think that changes reality.
Not if it is just listing names.
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I truly hope so, but I would get the legal ducks in a row first. If the names are only available behind a paywall on a website (members only) or in a copyrighted magazine, and said names are Big Ones, I would be prepared up front for cease and desist letters. Whether they have a legal leg to stand on has not been a priority, ime.
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AI will definitely not do that accurately whatsoever. There are older software programs that can do a better job, depending on the format but for a legal issue like this every line will need to be hand verified by a professional adult human, not a minimum wage overseas worker or high school kid. Trust me, I’ve done this kind of thing a fair bit.
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He was a cheat and a crook 20 years ago in Sourhern ca and NOTHING has changed.
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Exactly - same here and they must feel it in the profits before anything will change.
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Exactly what I said above. Also do you remember the website about him probably back in 2005ish www.michaelleonsucks.com? 
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I realize that, I was asking more rhetorically. Why should there be such lack of transparency and accountability in this process?
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Because all or the vast majority of members of the Board and Committees are either trainers or show managers who appoint or nominate their friends to open positions . The membership has no real voting power but are forced to join and pay fees in order to compete… So the board and officers are free to ignore the concerns of the “little people” as the late Mason Phelps once described the people who write the checks.
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Sedivet can be given IM and is excellent for shoeing because it makes the horse less anxious but not wobbly. It seems unlikely a farrier at a big horse show would tranq a horse himself a) at all and certainly b) not without interacting with barn staff let alone c) with a compounded medication that is not that easy to get. Everybody knows there are drug rules, even if they don’t know exactly what they are. Seems like a weak cover story.
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