Hmmm, will we suddenly have a lot of very closely clipped horses in the hunter ring??? https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/hair-testing-added-to-usef-anti-doping-toolbox-alongside-new-collapse-protocol/
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I imagine if horses start showing up with no mane or tail then that is basically an admission of guilt
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The thought that crossed my mind was that people might start doing very extensive drug panels when they buy a horse so that they have documentation of exactly what was in the horse’s system the day they got it.
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What happens if the horse was treated for an injury or what not, but was clean weeks before the show? What about Medicine prescribed by a vet that is not allow in showing but clears the system in days and has no effect on performance? I know the article says it won’t test for legit medications, but I know USEF will bend the rules.
Who the hell injects euthanasia drugs to quiet their horse? Why?
I just say test the horses who come in 1-3rd place.
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Jeez louise, what on earth are they testing for?
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Barbiturates and “flavor of the month” cocktails. The latest greatest untestable calming agent.
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My guess is they would only test for drugs that should never be in any horse’s body ever, not dormosedan etc
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I understand. The thought of injecting euthanasia drugs is crazy.
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It seems to me the hair test is an attempt to identify habitual users of banned substances, since the substance won’t show up in the hair for 5-7 days after administration. But then it stays for months afterwards.
It will be interesting to see what suspension protocol is used for a positive result, since it will be impossible to determine exactly when the banned substance entered the horse’s system.
Is there a betting pool going for who gets caught first??
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maybe THIS is how we get rid of fake tails???
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I imagine they will extrapolate the time line depending on where in the hair shaft the drug evidence is found. They can do that with human hair.
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The fact that they had to implement a rule saying “if your horse collapses you can’t compete for 7 days.”
I also can’t wait for the excuses when the first positive hair samples come up. “The groom fed him the leg of a euthed horse, I swear!” I do like that they are admitting that some of the testing will be targeted. It’s about time.
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Completely aside from the challenges of using a hair test to enforce drug rules in real time, I definitely think it could help USEF see what the chemists are up to much earlier, and get them up to speed on the drug d’jour much faster. The data alone is valuable, for all kinds of reasons, even if it’s not used to sit a specific person down.
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How depressing that there could be enough positive results that it would establish a useful set of data 
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Maybe this is how we get more fake tails?
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Prepare for your drug testing fee or yearly membership or both to go up. Another way for usef to get more money out of everyone.
Also they can keep your sample indefinitely with hair.
Now, with harmful barbiturates rumored to be in use as preparation for the show ring, regulators needed a way to determine whether a horse has been improperly dosed with an illegal substance.
The fact that this sentence even needs to be included in a press release about new testing protocols is appalling. This is what some “professionals” are reaching for these days? A little somethin’ somethin’ from the euthanasia med kit to take the edge off a horse?
I cannot imagine the character of someone who would do this. Willfully. With planning and purpose.
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There are plenty of “professionals” who have sold high profile clients horses that want results. People go to many different lengths to make that happen. The horse industry still has lots of bad actors involved in it. They are teaching the next generation to do it too.
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I read the rule linked to in the OP. Seems pretty self explanatory and very sad some have to be told euthanasia and long time problem drugs in humans like phenobarbital do not belong in a living horses body. Period. Let alone any horsemen needs to be told a horse that collapses as defined by USEF in that rule needs to be told it cannot return to competition until after a week off and a vet exam-gee, yah think? NO, it did not just decide to roll in the schooling ring.
It is about time.
Oh, this does dovetail nicely with the braiding Hunters thread, roached manes may soon become the fashion in the Hunter ring.
A quote comes to mind, “So who among you will be first?’ Said in House of Dragons by the queen standing in front of her dragon asking for volunteer riders. Wondering who will be first to get flamed here. 
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certified drug free tails!
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