Is there an equine equivalent of “'roid rage”? If there is, I could see that as being performance enhancing in racehorses.
With equipoise, definitely. Winstrol was used specifically because there were no behavioral changes.
Yes, they tend to be studdish and rank. As someone who used to make money handwalking these horses when they came in on lay-ups and were on stall rest, it was a nightmare. Fun taking even mares out and accidentally touching their neck or face and getting struck and squealed at. Handwalking a stall-bound 2/3/4 year old uber fit TB is hard enough!
Given humans crashing off them (and off corticosteroids, come to that) don’t feel good I can’t imagine stopping cold turkey is any fun, either.
[QUOTE=vineyridge;7612027]
Is there an equine equivalent of “'roid rage”? If there is, I could see that as being performance enhancing in racehorses.[/QUOTE]
Steroid use is illegal in racehorses.
When I was ponying I remember the BIG difference it made when the steroids were made illegal for racing. I used to have a lot of the horses trying to climb right in the saddle with me. They would bite and try to mount the pony when you were walking. My job was made so much easier when equipoise was no longer allowed.
I used to groom for a trainer that believed in weekly steroid shots even for his stallion. Needless to say I am glad I survived that, in fact that was a big motivator for me to get my trainer’s license and train horses myself.
I have seen horses withdraw from lots of drugs and frequently they have rough, long hair, nervousness and colic as they withdraw.
[QUOTE=LaurieB;7612739]
Steroid use is illegal in racehorses.[/QUOTE]
Yes, but that’s a recent rule change. It was the discussion of Big Brown that made me wonder.
I have used Winstrol in my own older horse – in the off-season because he has an extremely difficult time building topline muscle and it was a big help to him. Vet did advise to watch his behaviour, as results can vary, but he stayed his normal placid self and it was a very effective tool for him; he is also naturally very anemic and was always extremely slow to recover, and IIRC the Winstrol also helped enormously to boost his CBC up quickly and then I was able to maintain it with a multi-vitamin supplement.
I certainly was not performance-enhancing in our case, it was physiological support for his body which has some parts that don’t work quite right. And he never got any within 3-4 months of any possible competitions. And it certainly didn’t “enhance” our results, as we were generally very cozily near DFL after dressage, haha (rider handicap), not did it make him any fitter or easier to condition aerobically (Appendix QH).
So there are few things I can make unilateral statements about (and we’re talking Novice level eventing, not Graded stakes races) and I am only familiar with Winstrol in terms of anabolic steroids.
This is also a horse in 24/7 turnout on a normal diet and training program (well, he is semi-retired now due to a back injury), not a 3 year old stud colt in a stall on a very high energy diet either – so lots of different variables!!
[QUOTE=vineyridge;7613161]
Yes, but that’s a recent rule change. It was the discussion of Big Brown that made me wonder.[/QUOTE]
I’ve rehabbed many tbs coming off steroids and I agree with lpcutter’s evaluation and can add that I’ve seen many crash and lose energy. I suspect that’s what happened to Big Brown.
I also think that some trainers were completely unaware of this effect because they usually only took the horses off steroids when the horse stopped racing or was laid up and only the grooms and layup facilities saw this impact.
I disagree that is what happened to Big Brown. He was on a monthly shot regimen. He didn’t miss a dose until past the Preakness, there wasn’t enough time to crash. His rider thought his foot failed and wet his pants.
[QUOTE=LaurieB;7612739]
Steroid use is illegal in racehorses.[/QUOTE]
It hasn’t always been, though.
[QUOTE=wildlifer;7614077]
I have used Winstrol in my own older horse – in the off-season because he has an extremely difficult time building topline muscle and it was a big help to him. Vet did advise to watch his behaviour, as results can vary, but he stayed his normal placid self and it was a very effective tool for him; he is also naturally very anemic and was always extremely slow to recover, and IIRC the Winstrol also helped enormously to boost his CBC up quickly and then I was able to maintain it with a multi-vitamin supplement.
I certainly was not performance-enhancing in our case, it was physiological support for his body which has some parts that don’t work quite right. And he never got any within 3-4 months of any possible competitions. And it certainly didn’t “enhance” our results, as we were generally very cozily near DFL after dressage, haha (rider handicap), not did it make him any fitter or easier to condition aerobically (Appendix QH).
So there are few things I can make unilateral statements about (and we’re talking Novice level eventing, not Graded stakes races) and I am only familiar with Winstrol in terms of anabolic steroids.
This is also a horse in 24/7 turnout on a normal diet and training program (well, he is semi-retired now due to a back injury), not a 3 year old stud colt in a stall on a very high energy diet either – so lots of different variables!![/QUOTE]
And that is the difference between appropriate drug use and drug abuse.
Your experience falls in the former category.
[QUOTE=LaurieB;7612739]
Steroid use is illegal in racehorses.[/QUOTE]
Even so, many tracks don’t test for it (and corticosteroids are still steroids, too).
I went to list a horse at a farm once and the trainer made a point of showing me a mare he was racing the next day, and told me she was rarin’ to go as he’d been using equipoise. She was climbing the walls (I think also she hadn’t been out all day). When I mentioned it to someone at the track, was told that they have a rule against it but that they also didn’t test for it, so I imagine it wasn’t the most adhered to rule in the world. 
Maybe that’s changed since, who knows.
[QUOTE=caffeinated;7616173]
Even so, many tracks don’t test for it (and corticosteroids are still steroids, too).
I went to list a horse at a farm once and the trainer made a point of showing me a mare he was racing the next day, and told me she was rarin’ to go as he’d been using equipoise. She was climbing the walls (I think also she hadn’t been out all day). When I mentioned it to someone at the track, was told that they have a rule against it but that they also didn’t test for it, so I imagine it wasn’t the most adhered to rule in the world. Maybe that’s changed since, who knows.[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately, this seems to be very much the case. After several years of apparently cracking down on steroids, many tracks have simply stopped testing for them.
Several trainers who once made a living on Equipoise have had a remarkable return to form in the last two years or so.
Stuff was never banned or tested for in West Virginia. Makes the place a popular destination for needle trainers.
