I do not think there was any USOC involvement.
[QUOTE=wishfulthinking711;9007236]
Darkwave, I assume you only get notified if there is a positive result. I have never been notified after any of my drug tests.[/QUOTE]
I’ve been tested a handful of times, and can confirm that they do not notify you if you have a negative test.
They do give you this little “coupon” with your sample number etc which i believe you can call to follow up on. Not usually worth the bother unless you are worried…
Ah well that makes sense. I knew I had nothing to worry about so I neverror followed up. I assume the one poster was asking if you were contacted directly by usef regarding the result.
Also in the Humble case, magnesium isn’t a banned substance as it is naturally occurring.
GABA is also an endogenous substance. It is "naturally occurring " as is oxytocin, calcium, etc…
Only two things can change this situation in a meaningful way.
-
USEF imposes penalties that are true and meaningful eye openers. Kick someone out of USEF for life - no owning, no training, no riding. Figure out a way to link their business. While this situation looks big from the outside I think its not enough.
-
Owners, riders, buyers must step up and truly shun these people. Move the horse, don’t buy there, don’t even look, don’t interact, period.
Sad that #2 does not seem to happen. Makes you wonder how many of that echelon of the hunter world even care, and how many are doing much the same.
[QUOTE=Groom&Taxi;9007218]
So USEF secretary Pratt tried to call Farmer? Like a high profile horse trainer is going to answer or listen to a voice mail from an unknown number? Or maybe Farmer has USEF on her caller id…
I hope the USEF has their ducks in very neat rows on this matter and can prove beyond shadow of a doubt that correct process was followed with regards to the notifications.[/QUOTE]
I would think someone that sold 44 horses or so last year would answer calls/voice mails… it is a big part of their business.
This entire thing smells very fishy to me and gives me a glimmer of hope for the Hunter world.
2tempe I agree with you on the owners being involved. When the depth of the medication problem became solid in my brain ( several years working for a vet and seeing many things best kept unsaid. I really believe that horses that belong to a trouble maker( someone calling out the trainers) will have to stop showing or hire a security guard for their own horse’s safety. Some of these people will hurt horses and/or the owners. Their morals have been gone for so long… they don’t care anymore. how.
I am sure this has been asked and answered before so please don’t sass me…but… what is the closest human prescription/non scrip medication for humans? Are they similar to benzos or what?
Chad Keenum had 2 separate horses at 2 different events both test postive and only got 6 months and $6,000 in fines. No big email about him, and compared to other “first timers” his was nothing…
"Only two things can change this situation in a meaningful way.
- USEF imposes penalties that are true and meaningful eye openers. Kick someone out of USEF for life - no owning, no training, no riding. Figure out a way to link their business. While this situation looks big from the outside I think its not enough."
I think it’s pretty darn substantial. Aside from the $$$ fine, they’re setting down one of the most successful hunter trainers in the country for a total of 2.5 years. That’s a long time.
Whether or not it changes his behavior going forward the next time he sets foot at a horse show, it should give plenty of other people quite a bit of food for thought.
He may or may not be able to bounce back afterwards, but many, many people could not. And they probably know it.
Are any of Larry’s horses showing this week?
[QUOTE=BLBGP;9007429]
Who canters back to the barn after a class?[/QUOTE]
I have. Not often but when I’ve had multiple horses to show in multiple rings and nobody available to bring the next horse up, I’ve trotted or cantered at least part of the way back so I can grab him.
Not to try to lend any legitimacy to the claim, but I think it’s worth noting that it’s not totally unheard of.
And if in fact these two go on to bring along young horses for resale in the many months to follow, why would anyone shop for their next horse there?
The horse community should in itself make a point and go elsewhere. It would show that among their peers the drugging is not acceptable.
This is probably NOT on its own going to have the impact that people think or hope. It sets an example, by what was done to two high profile people, but does it deal with the underlying problem of how much doping is being done, how it is being done and why it is being done. It is being done, to simplify a complicated issue, because it helps horses win. Judges pin horses whose way of going can be positively impacted by drugging. People apparently want to win, more than caring about appropriate playing by the rules. Cheating to win isn’t winning, it is cheating, but somewhere the lines are blurred, and a win at any cost, even if breaking rules, is deemed to be a win, and not cheating or rule breaking. Why does a win matter so much? To whom? To trainers, yes, but because it matters to people who pay the bills to the trainer, and it is at that level things must change.
Are there far more people cheating than get caught? It is hard to escape the impression that is the case. And so for the owners of horses that care far more about the win than how they got it, there is a likely a pool of people to go to, that will continue to run the risks of cheating against the benefits of doing so.
In some ways targeting the trainers is targeting the wrong level.
There needs to be a deeply rooted change in the whole ethos of the show world to make the change that needs to be made.
And pardon me for being a skeptic, but I do not see that happening. Horse showing is ever increasingly a luxury sport, the cost of showing and having that winning horse goes up and up. Value is placed on the win by those who have lots of money to spend to finance the win and do not much care how they get it. The win is a status thing-- an extrinsic rather than an intrinsic reward-- for some.
And the whole horse show industry caters to this-- can the industry be blamed? People are trying to make a living, they follow the money, and ridiculous status symbols about the name of your breech, boot, helmet, saddle, without regard to functionality or fit for the horse, for instance as the priority, have taken over.
It is what it is. So much money is wrapped into the industry that I do not think that it will change. Certainly not overnight. Probably not ever.
And so a few high profile names get held up from time to time as examples. But really, nothing has changed. And that is not what is going to change it.
It’s not trainers or riders, it’s owners. Until they are held responsible along with the professionals very little will happen. They turn a blind eye as long as they take home a trophy. How many train with Paul Valliere. People continue to work with Scott Stewart, Glefke etc.
Owners must be set down along with trainers and riders. It must effect ALL of their horses. It is socially acceptable to drug. The culture must change which means we all have to be outspoken critics. We need to up the drug fees and must test all shows, all winners and random other competitors. If we don’t clean this up, someone like HSUS or PETA will and that won’t be good for anyone, us or the horses.
I honestly don’t know how it can even be fun or rewarding for regular amateurs with regular horses and no “program” to compete in this circus. It’s been demonstrated repeatedly that the very best drug their horses as a matter of course. What kind of “competition” can there be?
So USE has made $41000 on these recent GABA fines. I think that money should go somewhere to try to change the judging. Start a program that recognizes judges that are rewarding brilliance and not dull and accurate. The Derbies were supposed to bring life back to hunters and now you have one of the most successful Derby riders and trainers fined in the biggest USE drug case.
Start with the judges. Remind them what Derbies are supposed to encourage. Have a USE broadcast of trips that are brilliant and how the judges scored them. It can be done through Instagram, You Tube and USE Network.
[QUOTE=mortgagemyhorse;9007867]
I am sure this has been asked and answered before so please don’t sass me…but… what is the closest human prescription/non scrip medication for humans? Are they similar to benzos or what?[/QUOTE]
I was put on Gaba last year for GI related issues. I remember thinking after I picked it up that I would be best not to go to a hunter show for a while. LOL.
Emily
I agree with you Limerick. The problem is so many judges have a financial interest in keeping it the way it is. Many show and sell on alternate weeks. Others are dependent on the goodwill of the show managers, who are dependent on the trainers, and around and around we go. The current judging standards are appropriate, they just need to be applied. And judges just won’t. Unfortunately, it will have to be forced by making the sport inaccessible to those that do drug by fining and banning offenders.
