Re: The great drug debate

[Cynthia Eyler <eyler@mindspring.com>]

Well, I've learned the hard way not to respond to one message in a thread
until I've read all the others already posted.

Folks, I'm a newbie/wannabee.  I'm not trying to push my horse when he's
not healthy.  Geez, I'm conditioning for a year before even doing an LD
(and this with an eight year old who's on hilly pastures 24/7).  And I
stopped riding my horse last year for several months when I learned that my
saddle was a bad fit for him and had probably been causing him pain.

I asked my question out of ignorance (how long might the bute still be in,
and thus altering, his system).  I'll try one more time -- if my horse is
healed and strong and re-conditioned and seemingly ready to compete, can I
assume that the bute he was given when he was hurt is now out of his system?

Cindy Eyler

At 05:39 PM 10/27/98 EST, CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 98-10-27 17:35:46 EST, eyler@mindspring.com writes:
>
><< Heidi,
> 
> But when does an administered drug (such as bute) cease to exist in my
> horse?  If he's coming off an injury and all seems to be well again, how
> long until there's no longer any bute in his system?
> 
> Cindy Eyler
>  >>
>
>It may take several days to weeks for levels to become undetectable.  My
>question is this--if the injury was serious enough to require bute, why would
>anyone want to return to competition before that time anyway?  It takes
>considerable time for injuries to heal completely, and surely the injured
>horse deserves the respect to get that time off from competition.  Some slow
>work may well be part of the healing process, but that is a lot different
than
>competing in a ride.
>
>Heidi
>
>