I believe the necropsy was performed in Saudi Arabia, if I’ve understood KC Branscomb’s comments on her FB page. Seems reasonable, as shipping a dead horse body somewhere else seems unreasonable to me.
It’s in the original article posted by COTH that was shared I believe and mentioned a couple times at least. The necropsy was done at King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia.
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They can always take blood and tissue samples or even organs to send to a lab in the states if the owner wanted
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This.^^
And it should never have been given the first time, or to any horse.
ETA: I’m not against medicating. But it should be for actual, diagnosed issues, or for reasonable on-label administration for maintenance. All my horses had Adequan and/or Legend when appropriate, but they were administered per label instructions and at the stated intervals recommended, not as part of some magic cocktail.
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Circling back to the “use agreement”, if I am reading the following correctly, according to the agreement USEF can do whatever they want and do not maintain insurance on the horse. This use agreement is worse than any lease agreement I have ever seen. I do hope that there are repercussions to USEF for this action.
The USEF does not carry insurance on any horses placed in its custody and cannot be responsible for any accident, lameness,
illness, or injury that could happen during stabling, training, transportation or competition. You may, of course, maintain
your own insurance coverage.
For purposes of horse welfare, by signing this Agreement the horse owner(s) give their full permission to the USEF and its
agents to administer medication to their horse(s) in the interest of the horse(s) welfare and well-being during the loan period.
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I never thought for one second USEF maintained their own insurance on those horses but I sure hope the owners do.
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A month later and I still think about this daily.
Besides the fact that a horse died, the thing that feels the most icky to me about this is that USEF has been sanctioning using meds when it benefits them in ways that they tell the lower level competitors not to. Do as I say, not as I do.
Unless i’m very mistaken, the idea has always been if its being given to enhance performance, reduce pain, or calm a horse down it’s banned. Thats why it’s technically illegal to give large amounts of magnesium before a hunter class, even if magnesium isn’t banned. So was that arnica just in there for funsies? I dont think so, USEF. That’s for pain control. I think you were breaking your own rules.
And that’s not even getting into the 12h rule on injections.
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I believe the horse was not showing the following day, so the 12 hour rule aspect would not have been an issue in that particular case.
But wasn’t that why they wanted to inject him at that time, because that permissable to inject window was closing?
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The horse was supposed to be presented for a jog, IIRC. I believe that falls under competition rules.
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I believe so; I believe they were coming up on the 6h closing window. But, selenium could be considered an electrolyte, which would directly break both rules. Unless I’m reading that incorrectly.
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By whom? Not by any definition I know.
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Remember this was an FEI competition not a USEF competition. Not saying you’re wrong, just that different rules apply.
Are not FEI rules stricter?
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Yes, but they are still not the same. For instance there are two forms of a platinum performance skin supp. Per an FEI discussion we had with our FEI vets we learned one is FEI legal (and labeled as such). The other is usef legal. Each one has a prohibited substance under the other’s rules. Fun times. What is and isn’t prohibited is developed by each organization, it’s not just “everything is prohibited” under FEI.
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I know better than to disagree with you 
From my medical training (which, was a long time ago…) we were told selenium was considered a trace element electrolyte.
Trace mineral, yes.
But trace minerals are not necessarily or even usually electrolytes.
The major electrolytes are sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, and phosphate.
Dissolved in water (plasma), they ionize and carry an electrical charge, hence the name.
Cell membranes regulate their passage in and out of the cell, and that pretty much makes life possible.
Trace minerals are needed in much smaller amounts–things like selenium, iron, copper, cobaltiodine, etc. They are frequently needed to form enzymes/componds that perform necessary steps in metabolism.
Selenium’s major function is as part of the proteins that prevent free radical accumulation.
Also plays a role in the thyroid and in DNA synthesis.
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This x1000
The rest of us vacillating back and forth about a tube of PP and they are INJECTING all of this.
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Thank you for sharing that, very helpful
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USEF: “Rules for thee but not for me”
The adult ammy can’t have her gelding on depo but the international jumper that is under the care, custody, and control of USEF for FEI competition is given some off label concoction at the direction of the USEF vet.
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