Legal Drugs

[Cheryl Newbanks <horsetrails@inficad.com>]

Angie McGhee wrote:

>Have you seen anyone dragged before the board and suspended for a year
>because their horse had some dandelion in his system?  I just think this
>is a slow day and you guys are making a mountain out of a mole-hill.
>What we've got now is working fine to my knowledge.  We didn't make this
>rule to stop people from doing things that were good for their
>horse...like worming, electrolytes, etc.

Yeah Angie!  Way to go girl!  Sometimes I think ridecamp gets too tied up 
in its own underwear!!!!  Probiotics are NOT performance enhancing drugs! 
 Our horses do an extraordinary sport and extra measures need to be taken 
like probiotics and electrolytes to put back what we demand they take out 
of their systems.  Many horses would  die out there on the trail (and used 
to before our nutrition technology became so advanced) if we couldn't give 
these supplements. It is not like we let them stop to eat or find the lost 
minerals they need on the side of the trail while the pack races by!  If 
you choose to not give these supplements to your horse fine, but don't tell 
me they are performance enhancing drugs, heck they are basically survival 
enhancing.  And for those who think electrolytes and probiotics are an 
unfair advantage I guess I'll see your horse at vc on the end of an iv 
bottle someday!

                                  Cheryl Newbanks
~~~           ~~ ^ ^        SW Region
~~~\      _ ~~/ /\ /        Buckeye, AZ
       (   ) __    ) ' '        horsetrails@inficad.com
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