I’ve just sold one of those, and own another, they are not actually that rare. Lazy with a spook, which is the definition of like 75% of warmbloods these days.
You can’t drug that combo of crawl + explode off the ground into them… if they need to be drugged to crawl around, they are gonna generally jump like they are drugged too.
That doesn’t explain drug infractions at the top of the sport…
I was referring to the meds Humble was receiving according to that med sheet. He’s the pony that died.
Another wrinkle in all this is that currently, you can’t get Sedivet in the US. So what are they giving? I’ve heard they are using compounded medication, which opens up a whole new can of worms. Can’t imagine that sedation for showing really falls into the spirit of compounding laws…
If a vet calls in a compounding request, the pharmacy isn’t asking what it’s being used for. They can either legally compound it, or they can’t. Nexgenvetrx and Wedgewood have romifidine in their lineup.
Sedation for showing is so far outside the spirit of good horsemanship it’s ridiculous.
Interesting that the reining community requires the rider/ owner to sign off. I’d imagine that came from risk management/ lawyers at the organisation but I think that a lot of owners, and especially the non-horse owning/ non-competing parents of juniors are about to learn something new about their horses’ care. It also means that it will be known which horses are drugged and you will have to disclose in a sale if asked. It will be interesting to see how that shakes out.
I think this policy is smarter than people her think and I believe that they pro-drug trainers may have painted themselves into a corner.
Signing on someone else’s behalf is very common in the horse world (on entry forms, etc.). What’s to stop someone else from scribbling a signature where the rider or owner is meant to sign?
It’s illegal for a start. And I would assume it’s easy enough for the association to send a confirmation to the owner email that they have on file.
Was wondering if anyone had posted this yet. I have pretty much the same views as most and am appalled that it was pretty much blackmail.
Also why not just allow ace? There is something else with this drug. I haven’t done horse work since it was available so I have not used it. But there must be something else with it.
But USEF (AHSA, really) had an FEI and IOC imperative breathing down their neck to change up things AND they didn’t need a +2/3 majority vote. I think subsequent steps to control meds were easier after that.
Based on the president’s response, I’ll concede some people in reining want some changes and a great many more are either against it or ignorant of it (willfully or otherwise).
With these changes the last group has no excuse, they can either support the current state of affairs or not. It will be interesting to see what happens. It’s like they are at the crossroads of Ethical Rd and Big Lick Lane. It will be interesting to see which road they decide to go down. (My cynicism is such that I know what road they WANT to take, but we will see what the power of social pressure does, after all this isn’t some obscure little niche bidness like big lick)
From what I’ve heard from people who are legitimately using it to leg up a horse who’s been on stall rest, it’s a lot safer for the horses (and riders) than Ace, they have a better sense of where their legs are on sedivet
This is such an interesting situation. NRHA really has it’s hands full, if there was such opposition to a stronger drug and medication policy. Wow! Given that, the policy that they approved is a darn good step. There are $ consequences, and big ones, and publication of infractions. Plus, the use of Sedivet has to be declared, signed off by owner, etc. If they have enough drug testing, this is a big step in the right direction. This is a tough situation, esp if NRCA does in fact allow Ace to be used - that’s not really helping clean the competition arena up. NRHA leadership - good for you! This was probably a really, really tough topic and required a lot of compromise to move to this point now.
But their heart rate may still be in the tank!
Lol, it wasn’t an endorsement, just an observation about something more in line with it’s intended use (and if I ever have to tack walk an equine launchpad, still getting sedivet!)
If you meant NRCHA, they only allow ace if the horse is HYPP positive. The dosage is not to exceed 3 milligrams per pound in 24 hours.
@spotnnotfarm, thanks for that clarification. Yes, that’s the organization. That’s an interesting bit of detail re what horses can compete with Ace.
Ace the tranquilizer and Ace for the HYPP horse are entirely different drugs
Acepromazine, and Acetazolimide respectively.
Exactly, this falls directly on the vet. Who, in my opinion is not prescribing an off label drug for a valid medical purpose. Compounding is supposed to be reserved for cases of unmet medical need. There is no medical need here.
That said, technically, it is illegal to compound drugs from bulk ingredients, which is what they have to be doing (unless they are importing illegally). The FDA does have a policy of looking the other way here, which is a good thing for vets as they really need access to a lot of these drugs (but again for medical reasons)
CVM GFI #256 - Compounding Animal Drugs from Bulk Drug Substances | FDA
I’m not sure I understand the “compounding from bulk ingredients”. Can you give an example?
Aren’t compounded pergolide and ranitidine from bulk ingredients?
I tend to agree with you. I used to show reiners back in the day. When I started in the hunters, I was gobsmacked by the amount of lunging done before showing in the hunters. Some of it is really, really stupid and borders on abuse. Lunging a horse to death at 6:00 am for a 3:00 class is just a waste of time and a punishment on the horse’s legs. That 6:00 am lunge will have no effect at 3:00 pm. Contrary to what English discipline people might think, there is far less drugging of horses in Western disciplines. The breed and disposition of horses that are used, just don’t need the drugs.
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