Re: RC: RE: RE: RE: Fw: Drugs

["Glenda R. Snodgrass" <grs@TheNetEffect.com>]

> The biggest problem with that is enforcement.  There is no point in wording 
> ANY rule in such a way that it cannot be enforced.  No two horses metabolize 
> any substance at the same rate, so blood tests won't tell you when a drug was 
> administered.

While I can see your point here Heidi, in my mind, none of what you are
saying precludes the issuance of "guidelines" which would assist new folks
(in particular) in making decisions about when to schedule medical/dental
work for the horse and when to return to competition following illness or
injury. The point about tranquilizing for dental work is a good one -- it
would *never* have entered my mind in scheduling dental work that a trace
of the tranquilizer could show up in a drug test 2 months down the road.
That's the kind of education that Linda is talking about, I believe, and I
agree with her that it needs to be done.

The first step has been taken in publishing a list of banned substances,
with a caveat "this list is not complete ..." and all that good legalese.
Why can't this be taken one step further in publishing "guidelines" that
would give ranges of time and/or ranges of drug levels, taking into
consideration the different metabolism rates of horses, with all the
caveats spelled out, with the clear statement that the existing rules
still apply, the vet committee has discretion to make final
determinations, etc.  What is the harm in that?  

This wouldn't be changing the rule, merely supplying additional, needed
informtion to the membership.

Glenda & Lakota
Mobile, AL
AERC # M18819 & H27310
SE Region


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