Michael Leon drug suspension

[Catherine_Cullen]

I don’t know anything about this horse or person, but I was curious so in case this is helpful context for anyone else:

The NRHA allows administration of this drug as soon as 30 minutes before a competition. So a trainer could be reasonably assured that it could safely achieve a competitive edge? But that trainer could also be reasonably assured, (I think?) that a drug screen would come up positive. So why would any trainer risk that? I can see trainers trying to get around with things that “don’t test,” but this doesn’t seem like that. Would they really just roll the dice? That seems unlikely to me.

But if the farrier used it a couple days before the show, it might test. I appreciate the differing opinions on the plausibility of that and whether that person would likely know that they were within 7 days of a show and shouldn’t use it.

[axl]

IIRC, NRHA allows this. Which is pretty disgusting, but here we are.

I have one time had a farrier try to give Ace to a pony that was recently acquired and quite feral. I was all on board because she really, really, needed her feet done. I was honestly surprised that he had it on hand, but I was more than willing.

It was IM, and I still can’t believe this is true except I was there. We literally could not get a needle in. Her muscles were like concrete.

Month later, used to people, no problems just a normal trim. But I swear to you, I saw that.

[jvanrens]

IM ace can easily be given under the tongue.

[atl_hunter]

Not sure why you think I’m lecturing - we can agree to disagree on that one.

You also might feel differently if this happened in your area and you wanted to make sure that farrier never laid hands on your horse (if that is even what happened). It was unlawful. Full stop.

[atl_hunter]

You are I are aligned 100% on this. I am not seeing how this played out as described.

[DMK]

Since my farrier of 3 decades was at one time his farrier, I’ve got a good handle on the area But the point remains that it is extremely unlikely that any regulatory agency is going to do anything about it. However if you don’t want your farrier giving your horse drugs (on that we agree), that is in your control. But most of all, it’s probably a moot point since I rather doubt that’s what happened.

[ThreeWishes]

NO farrier. No good farrier. Who valued their profession would drug a horse without a clients knowledge. And a client should supervise or have someone to supervise any work done on their horse. Full stop.

[add_leg]

Our donkey is like this! I’ve seen him BEND my vet’s needle. Thank goodness he’s fine for the farrier, but the first time I saw him turn to concrete I was flabbergasted.

[axl]

It blew my mind. I’ve never seen anything like it, but there was absolutely no way that needle was going in. She was rock hard.

[atl_hunter]

I’m fairly confident the farriers used back at Windsor weren’t the ones who injected this horse. The real unknowns are where and when this happened. Was the farrier appointment at home or at a show? When was the horse actually injected?

Let’s be clear: if a farrier truly did this at a show (which is also doubtful), the very least we should expect is for show management to verify with MBL and potentially ban them from providing their services in the future. While USEF can’t suspend a non-member farrier, the show itself has a responsibility for listing the farrier in their premium book. If it happened at Windsor and not at a show, USEF and the show management company’s hands are tied.

However, this is all hypothetical. Nearly everyone, likely including USEF, doubts a farrier was responsible. With no hearing, there’s nothing to investigate.

Regardless, we can all agree that this entire affair looks terrible for the sport.

[APirateLooksAtForty]

This video (the Upperville temper tantrum one) was sent to parents in his barn. They continue to allow their kids to ride with him and invest in extremely high priced horses with him. What a terrible role model for kids coming up in the sport.

[atl_hunter]

I just watched the 2024 Upperville International Derby class from CMH and Michael Britt Leon wasn’t carrying a whip. He jerked and spurred the horse after he chose a bad (and painfully slow) approach to the jump and lost momentum in the turn, but I didn’t see any whipping. Are you perhaps referring to a different year? He was showing True Cassini in the Upperville 2024 International Derby for reference.

[APirateLooksAtForty]

I hope you aren’t referring to me, because I never said anything about a whip. I said a temper tantrum. Which is exactly what that was. And seems to be his signature move, with the sporting and the hauling on the mouth (isn’t that giving the horse mixed signals, while we are on the subject?). What a fine horseman. Not.

[atl_hunter]

@APirateLooksAtForty, I responded to @Bella *see the upper right corner of my response where it has an arrow pointing to Bella)

[moatsngoats]

You do not need a vet to administer or prescribe Romifidine/SediVet - speaking practically and not legally. TBH I don’t think I’ve ever had a vet administer Romifidine for me, and I’ve used it plenty with no issues (for first rehab rides, for pulling manes, for the farrier…). If you have enough experience, as most horse trainers and likely many farriers, it is pretty straight forward to administer - not really a YIKES situation.

This is beside the point though, which is that I do very much doubt a farrier would give SediVet to a horse behind the trainer’s back and it sounds like this trainer is just making it up.

[Hunterammy2020]

Exactly and not even super readily available from most vets. I don’t think a farrier had this on their truck at all.

[CuriosoJorge]

@moatsngoats

You do not need a vet to administer or prescribe Romifidine/SediVet - speaking practically and not legally. TBH I don’t think I’ve ever had a vet administer Romifidine for me, and I’ve used it plenty with no issues (for first rehab rides, for pulling manes, for the farrier…). If you have enough experience, as most horse trainers and likely many farriers, it is pretty straight forward to administer - not really a YIKES situation.

You absolutely do need to be a veterinarian to prescribe this prescription drug. YOU may be quite cavalier about it, but if misinjected into a person, that alpha-2 could be fatal.

[Ghazzu]

@CuriosoJorge

if misinjected into a person, that alpha-2 could be fatal.

Word.

[SusanO]

I don’t think a farrier injected this horse but I sure do know some that will do it. Back before I retired it was hard to schedule a farrier so that I did not have to take a whole vacation day off. Many did not work on Saturdays. I had this one guy who had been trimming my mare and he wanted to come while I was at work. At first I did not want to have her done while I was not there but he had done her many times and she was fine. We had a discussion months past concerning farriers tranquillizing horses. He swore he would never do it. If the client wanted the horse sedated he pulled up the shot and made the horse owner push the plunger so he did not have the liability if something went wrong.

So I get home that night. My mare would barely walk. Seemed fine otherwise and feet were not sore the next morning. I am 99 percent certain he sedated her. Which infuriated me. I figured if he did something like that behind my back he would not tell me the truth if I asked him. I ended the relationship as soon as I found another farrier. Partly because of this and partly because he thought he was God and no vet knew as much as he did. And he did not do that great a job anyway.

Now my mare was not insured or a wildly expensive horse. But I can’t see a farrier that shoes expensive horses want the liability of accidently causing anaphylactic shock and the insurance not paying out. Because, you know, practicing medicine without a license. I hope the ones shoeing derby horses and high dollar horses with insurance are not dumb enough to be administering drugs, especially in an injection.

I may be podunk but nobody besides a vet is giving my horse a shot. Now if I boarded I might make an exception for an emergency but shoeing is usually not an emergency. And if it is an event where you need sedation, then you need a vet to do it.

[atl_hunter]

Let’s set aside the generalities of who could administer a sedative. The critical issue here involves a show horse, entrusted to a trainer, being sedated during that trainer’s supervision. In the state of Georgia, only a vet, an owner (under the direction of a vet), or an employee of an owner (under the direction of the vet) can administer this. Since it’s not likely the owner or farrier did this, and since the staff of the training farm are not employees of the owner of the horse, it is, indeed, a YIKES situation.