Check it Out!    
RideCamp@endurance.net
[Date Prev]  [Date Next]   [Thread Prev]  [Thread Next]  [Date Index]  [Thread Index]  [Author Index]  [Subject Index]

RE: Re: Drug policy



 
Lauren,

AERC wants you to take care of your horse in every way possible.  The rules
are emphatic about not withholding anything that would benefit the horse.

Glucosamines and chondroitin sulfate both are nutritional supplements and as
such are perfectly fine to feed your horse.  MSM is usually used as an anti-
inflammatory and as such is not allowed.  The active ingredient in Yucca is
similar to aspirin, as such it is not allowed.

The intent of the AERC rules is to encourage you to do everything that would
help your horse live a long, healthy, enjoyable life while maintaining the
fairness of competition.

Wherever the drug tolerance line is drawn there must be some common sense used
in its application.  The zero tolerance has worked for years because those who
applied it considered the intent rather than the exact wording.  Lately the
legal environment has forced AERC to go by the exact wording and a few cases
went too far.  Now the rules have been amended by the Board of Directors such
that common sense and medical knowledge can again play a big part in the
decision.

One caveat, however, is that many people give their horse remedies that
contain items which they had no idea the remedy contains.  For example, Yucca
contains a substance much like Bute.  Please understand what you are giving
your horse; not only from a rule violation standpoint, but more so from your
horse's well being standpoint.

The moral of the story is first do what is best for your horse, then make sure
it is fair to all other competitors, then worry about the AERC rules.  If the
first two are done, you should have no fear of the rules.

Thanks,
     Mike


C. Mike Tomlinson DVM
AERC Member

-----Original Message-----
From:    lhorn@home.com [mailto:lhorn@home.com]
Sent:    Tuesday, July 28, 1998 10:05 PM
To:    ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject:     Re: Drug policy

From:    lhorn@home.com (Lauren Horn)
Reply-to:    lhorn@home.com
To:    ridecamp@endurance.net ('ridecamp@endurance.net')
What exactly are my chances that I will be pulled aside to do a drug
test on my horse (in Calif.)?? Do they pull anyone, regardless of your
placing? I remember scanning the drug list some time ago and I THINK it
listed such stuff as MSM, glucosamines, Chrondrotian sulfate, yucca and
other stuff that MANY people use as a preventive measure.

I look at some of the above substances as being in the "nutrition"
category. Top athletes utilize superior nutrition as an edge in
competition. I try to eat well and take vitamins and other supplements
so I will be healthy and live a long life (hopefully) and I want to take
care of my horse for the long run too, not just a season or three.

If glucosamines help my horse keep her joints fluid and may delay or
retard the onset on arthritis, then I'm all for it. If AERC wants to
call it a drug, then I'm for a overhaul of the current guidelines.

Lauren




    Check it Out!    

Home Events Groups Rider Directory Market RideCamp Stuff

Back to TOC