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[RC] Rider Drugs - k s swigart

Bob Morris said:


THEN...The subject of human DRUGS... is broached and from
the sounds of things, at least a modicum of posting ride campers
indulge in the use of fairly strong pain medications before, during
and after a ride.


I must confess that I, too, am somewhat chagrined to discover the rather
cavalier attitude that a lot of endurance riders seem to have towards
the use of performance enhancing drugs, just so long as they are being
used by the human athlete instead of the horse.

Yes, I agree, that there is a difference betwen self-administration and
shoving it down the horse's throat; however, that does not change the
fact that it appears that a goodly number of endurance riders are using
drugs in order to improve their chances of winning/completing.  In fact,
a number of people here have said that they couldn't do it at all if
they didn't drug themselves (if that ain't "performance enhancing" I
don't know what is).

I am having a hard time figuring out how this is any different
(philosophically) from major league baseball players using steroids to
improve their batting averages...except that in endurance riding there
aren't any rules against it.

Since so many people here have said that they couldn't do it at all, or
that their riding is vastly improved by drugging themselves, you aren't
going to be able to convince me that the outcome of endurance rides is
substantially affected by the routine drugging of the participants.  Why
doesn't the AERC have a rule against rigging the competion with the use
of drugs? (Jonni's argument that the outcome isn't affected because it
is the horse that does the work doesn't hold water, if the outcome
weren't affected, people wouldn't be doing it).  Why is it that only
horses must compete entirely on their natural abilities, but the riders
can enhance their performance with any drug they please....they are even
allowed to use steroids if they want?

Personally, I don't understand it.  But that is probably because I have
never had to drug myself to get through an endurance ride.

kat
Orange County, Calif.




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