Maybe I am being dense but I feel that the drug policy is quite
understandable. It has been explained numerious time in AERC pulbications.
At the Gold Rush ride a sheet was included in the rider package that
listed the substances in the categories and it did list MSM, DMG, etc. In
all the descriptions I have seen electrolytes have been specifically
mentioned as been not only legal but advisable.
As far as testing this is a random testing policy. If you are going to
test you don't tell what you are testing for. Test results need
interperated, so I don't find it diabolical that a committee meets to
interperate the results on a suspected horse. If you have had blood work
done on your animal, you know that there is an interationship between
levels of various compounds in the blood. There are also blocking agents,
e.g. vit B1 (if I am not mistaken) will block testing for other drugs -
maybe a good reason to test for high levels of B1!
I think the policy is fundamentally good. It bascially means that if your
horse cannot do a ride without the use of outside agents (excpet
electrolytes, water & feed), then he should not be called upon to do the
ride. He should be resting and recovering from whatever is ailing him.
Truman
Truman Prevatt
Sarasota, FL