Drug Traces

[Linda_Merims@ne.3com.com]

I can well understand why AERC (and ECTRA) would be so concerned
about the slippery slope of permitting some defined trace level of an
otherwise forbidden substance to be found in the blood.  The sport
is growing, money prizes are appearing, and riders may be becoming
more competitive.  The nightmare scenario would be to have endurance
racing and CTR go the way that the show people and the racing people
have gone.  I board my horse in a Standardbred training barn, and
the things that are done to those horses to get them to and through
their next race is disgraceful.  Those trainers know down to the hour
when their horses can get their last injection of whatever they are on
and still test out OK.  And, as Heidi says, none of these horses is ever
allowed the time to really heal.

But I agree with Glenda and Linda and many others that that is not
what is being asked for here.  Here is another example of what we
are trying to get at.

Say I'm planning to attend my first ECTRA CTR on April 15.  This will be
our
first public outing of the year, and I need to schedule the vet for spring
shots.  Now, I already know that it takes around three weeks for the
flu and rhino shots to become fully effective, so I must make sure that I
schedule the vet at least 3 weeks before April 15 for the shot to "take."

But it is also true that my horse often gets a very sore neck from his
shots.  I am accustomed to giving him bute for the first 24 hours or
so after his shots.  I see nothing whatsoever wrong with easing his
discomfort in this way.

However, I am aware that bute is a forbidden substance that will
show up on a drug test.  So, the question naturally enters my mind,
how far back from April 15 should I schedule the vet for my horse's
shots to give the bute time to clear from his system?  Is the 3 weeks
I am already allowing for the flu shot enough?  Or do I need to add
more time?

A more innocent question I cannot imagine.

Linda B. Merims
lbm@ici.net
Linda_Merims@ne.3com.com
Massachusetts, USA




=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=