ridecamp@endurance.net: AERC Drug Tests & the $1.00 fee

AERC Drug Tests & the $1.00 fee

Randy H Eiland (renegade12@juno.com)
Tue, 19 Aug 1997 08:50:20 -0700 (PDT)

Personally I take great pride that our sport and organization, AERC,
is based on a drug free philosophy. And, I would not mind the $1.00 per
rider drug fee charged by AERC if there actually were testing being done
outside of California, but I do not know of one drug test or horse tested
outside of California in the last two years. I have been told that Dr.
Beecher (Chair of the AERC Vet Committee) tested a couple of rides that
he personally vetted, but I know of no other tests in any region of AERC
except in California and that is a state policy not AERC policy. The
State of California is responsible for all testing procedures and
personnel within its state lines.. ..and CA. charges each horse related
event (not just endurance rides) a $3.00 per entry drug fee charge.

As it now stands, I feel that AERC collects an additional $1.00 per rider
from AERC sanctioned rides for a service that does not exist. Now, this
may not sound like a lot, but from a Ride Manager standpoint, if I have
100 plus riders, then I send AERC an additional $100.00 for a "Drug Test
Fee" that I know has never been performed outside of California and may
never be performed...If I have 50 riders per day on a 5 day ride, then I
send AERC an additional $250.00 for the same nonexistent service. In
fact, AERC has collected in the neighborhood of $9,000.00+ in the last
18 months in Drug Fees for a phantom service.

I don't mind the fee if the testing is being done, but I hate to pay a
"tax" for a service that is not provided...which has been the case for
the last two years (since the fee was instituted by
AERC)...Unfortunately. this tax is a financial burden that is paid for by
the riders, another added cost of endurance riding in an already
expensive sport.

Realistically, Endurance Riding is an "Honor System" sport. If someone
wants to cheat, odds are they can get away with it most of the
time..although their fellow riders will eventually find out. It is the
same with drugs. I don't think endurance riders drug their horses to
compete. Certainly the California testing would indicate that very few
horses have drugs in their systems during competition. Is the Drug
Testing idea for image or realism?

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