Agreed. One of those situations where silence on their part would have been more advantageous. I just can’t help pointing the obvious out though. 
4 Likes
QFP
3 Likes
I mean, magnesium is present in the body and you can still do plenty of damage by adding more.
I’m just not sure you have approached this discussion in any sort of productive manner. We have a group of people here rightfully concerned about the nefarious use of drugs and supplements for the sole purpose of winning a .50 cent ribbon… we also understand the cat & mouse game USEF must undergo to keep up with all the chemists… and then you arrive full of fighting words about how USEF will go down for banning your active ingredient because… your active ingredient doesn’t actually do anything?
Just not sure you thought all the way through this particular hill before coming here and choosing to die on it.
25 Likes
An ad for the morning of the show joint support suppositories from Perfect Prep just came across my FB feed…sigh
3 Likes
Theanine, based on the link below, should be considered a banned substance - if it has the same effect in horses as it does in humans. Now I know why I like my green tea before bed, caffeine be damned.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224499000448
5 Likes
Totally not on topic but wondering… Do ribbons really still cost 50cents? I assumed they cost more than that now.
(I am not showing anywhere so not winning any ribbons.)
7 Likes
As someone who ordered ribbons for horse shows about 10 years ago, they definitely cost more than 50 cents.
6 Likes
Yes generally over $2 each. Which still doesn’t sound like a lot, but for a 2 day, 2 ring schooling show that could be 100 classes x 6 ribbons x $2.5 = $1500.
Hodges Badges is one of the biggest vendors, and their prices are posted on their website: https://hodgesbadge.com/collections/equestrian-3-streamer-rosettes
6 Likes
My DH always says we do things for 10-cent ribbons. Man, he’s behind the times!! 
2 Likes
I hear what you’re saying and understand your concerns. The spirit of the rule is subjective and open to interpretation, and thankfully you may interpret that as you see fit for you and your horse. Some people may interpret a bit or a pair of spurs as being mood altering while others will not. At SynNutra Equine, we are a company made up of horse people who range from the backyard enthusiast, to professionals, to veterinarians and we always have the horse’s best interest at the heart of everything we do. We fully support drug and medication regulation and the enforcement of those rules. I’m simply here to give you the facts that our products contain no banned substances and you will not receive a positive test from any of our products. It is, of course, up to the individual to carve the best path for their horse and themself.
1 Like
qfp
4 Likes
I have this discussion regularly and they generally don’t believe me when I tell them they would be in violation of the rules. Just a part of why I don’t Steward anymore. Also advise filing drug reports longer than they think is necessary. It usually falls on deaf ears.
3 Likes
Obviously, bits and spurs do not come under the drug and medication rules.
That’s quite the odd apples/oranges comparison to your “calming” supplement, which shouldn’t be given to a horse entered in a USEF show.
16 Likes
Water is present in the body. I guess by mfalgione’s logic, drowning doesn’t exist.
I suppose mfalgione’ could submit their product to USEF (the chemical makeup and advertised benefits) and ask for a ruling from the USEF that the product does/doesn’t violate the rule. That would be so easy to do. One wonders aloud why they haven’t done it and publicized the results if they’re so certain the USEF would agree with their position on application of the rule to the product in question. After all, the USEF’s interpretation is what controls and they will give it to you if you ask.
10 Likes
Not sure why everyone is getting up in arms about the responses from the Synchill rep. If you (g) don’t feel like using a calming paste is within the spirit of the rules, then don’t use them for your horse.
As the rules are currently written, Synchill and many, many other calming supplements on the market - pill, powder, paste, crumbles, liquids - are allowable within the rules, provided that you do your homework and do not use a supplement that contains a banned substance.
As in all things, be governed by the rules and your own moral code.
16 Likes
Once again,
supplements that are used to calm the horse are not allowed. It is not a matter of whether it is in the spirit of the rule. It expressly states that in the rules, it does not say that unless it contains a banned substance it is allowed.
27 Likes
This…over and over.
2 Likes
Giving a calming supplement is not “drugging your horse.” I had one horse who was a maniac at shows for the first day. Completely different than at home. Should I have lunged the crap out of him first instead, and risked injury to his legs?
Personally, I preferred an herbal calming supplement to take the edge off until his brain returned to his body.
7 Likes
This is USEFs definition of banned substances which includes things that depress the CNS ie calming supplements. So giving them is indeed cheating. @SBrentnall There are many ways to make your horse not a “maniac” at shows including lots of hand walking, more exposure to off property events, lunging for respect instead of wildly out of control, ridden work, etc. None of the above would risk injury to the horse if done conscientiously and would not constitute cheating. Remember, just because you don’t get caught does not make it not cheating. Like giving some ace at a local show where they don’t test is still cheating. Do many people do
it? Absolutely. Just like many people give calming supplements. But it is still cheating. Maybe the horse needs a day of ticketed warm up before showing. Maybe it needs a long slow hack. Drugs are shortcuts and crappy horsemanship, even outside of the cheating aspect. Maybe our horseshow culture needs to accept that horses may not be perfect every single time in the ring because they are not machines, and to expect to win or have the perfect animal every time out is unrealistic. Maybe we need to recognize that if we have not developed an all around good brained animal who is accustomed to different environments and experiences they may be more prone to being “up” or having a less than perfect show day. Of course, to develop that takes a significant amount of time and effort.
19 Likes
Yeah, sorry but I disagree. This horse has kicked me while being hand-walked, been shown 50+ times during his career, injured himself while being lunged, and failed to calm down even after being ridden for 45 mins by a trainer.
The ONLY thing that made him manageable during the first day of a show was a tube of Perfect Prep. Which, btw, is legal in dressage competition.
5 Likes
