[RC] AERC Prohibited Substances Policy - Kelly Ahearn-Wagner
After reading about the Tevis horse who tested positive for caffeine that may have come from green tea in a calming supplement (Endurance News, Jan 2007), I am very concerned about inadvertently giving my horse anything that might test positive. Last week on the trail we shared an energy bar. Could there be hidden prohibited substances in my innocent-looking snack? What about all the new products designed for equine athletes? I have a bucketful of samples of nutraceutical-type food items that are supposed to benefit my horse - many were handed to me at trade shows or endurance rides and some came in the mail. I will think twice about using anything new from an unknown source, but even Platinum Products didn't know about the caffeine in their calming supplement.?
Tests are so sensitive now that zero-tolerance policies are being reconsidered in most sports that require drug testing. In the meantime we should be very careful about sharing our lunch with our hungry buddy. If your horse nabs one of your chocolate-chip cookies during a vet check hold, might he test positive for caffeine from the chocolate? Both are on the AERC prohibited substances list, which I am embarrassed to say, I have just read for the first time today. Never occurred to me before that I would need to worry about such things.
Check out this new article regarding drug contaminants and drug testing in race horses:
