Big Brown's owners are setting a precedent by vowing to race their horses steroid free going forward......

Question

.....and also free of any "unnecessary" medications. While this is certainly a step in the right direction towards getting our race horses to be drug-free, it seems that the most crucial elimination ought to be that of pain-killers. By masking pain, we take away nature's alarm system, one which alerts us to hairline fractures, sprains, etc. At least a portion, perhaps a significant one, of the breakdowns that do occur in the course of racing are attributable to the horse's sustaining an already incurred injury, but running on that injury pain-free, and suffering a fatal breakdown as a result. There are those who would consider such pain-killers as "necessary" for the horse to run the race, given that situation. In good conscience, shouldn't these be the first ones to go??

Answer 1

Definitely. Horses with injuries before they race and are on pain-killers they don't know when to stop running to stop from breaking down, because they can't feel the pain.

The horse racing industry should make it their first priority to get rid of all medications and pain-killers except lasik, in my opinion it helps the horse from bleeding.

Answer 2

Well, based on what the news is this morning about Dutrow I am not so sure that he isn't just talking a good game again?

Will be interested to hear what you all think of this latest news!

Answer 3

I agree that all medication should be banned in US racing - as it is in all other major racing countries.

However, I would include Lasix, and other anti-bleeding medications, in the ban.  Bleeding is a hereditary condition that is passed on from the parents to the offspring.  By giving horses anti-bleeding medication we are masking the symptoms and ultimately allowing these horses to go off to stud and breed more horses that are prone to bleeding.  Before too long it will be the norm for horses to bleed during racing, and that cannot be good for the breed as a whole.

Other racing nations do not use anti-bleeding medications, so why should the US continue to do so?

Answer 4

The article that I read said that IEAH (Big Brown's owners) are adopting the same policy as in Europe except that they will allow Lasix (extremely common in the states, but banned in europe... it helps the horse breathe better and stops them from bleeding during a race).  Europe has banned all raceday medications... that means not just steroids, but aspirin-type drugs too... they are banning pain killers.

I agree with everything you say about painkillers causing breakdowns... I strongly think it's important that the jockey be able to respond to a horse in pain... the horse and jockey need to be able to feel that there's a problem.

Perhaps the article you read or saw or whatever only mentioned steroids because that's the big subject lately.  I'm pretty sure that IEAH is banning everything.

Answer 5

Maybe without his drugs Big Brown will finish in the place where he belongs - last.   His owners should get used to it.

Answer 6

i think what iavorone and his camp are doing is really a great thing.  they are volunteering to be tested and volunteering to give up the purse if their horse comes up positive.  as far as the pain killers,  should other sports outlaw aspirin ??  do football players take pain killers so they could play with an injury.  umm yes, id say the majority. i dont think that we should necessarilly treat these horses any better than humans.  the same as humans yes, but better?   no . i think thats taking it a bit too far.  as far as lasix horses have ran on it for a long time.  and i cant imagine how lasix would make a horse break down during a race.  it prevents bleeding, thats a good thing.

Answer 7

I really don't think, "Setting Precedent", is the proper wording for it...."Trying to save face", might fit much better.  While I applaud his actions, they frankly are not original ideas!  Many trainers and owners have been running their horses without the use of sterdoids and with out the use of unnecessary drugs!  Why are we not instead applauding them?

     I also think that we need to differentiate between the drugs that are common in racing today.  There is a huge difference between a drug that hides pain (like cortisone based drugs tend to do) and one that reduces inflamation (like bute does)!  Does anyone really believe that an athlete who takes Tylenol or Nuprin should be banned from their sport until they can compete without it??  Bute is the same way!  Allowing a horse to suffer from the minor aches and pain that all athletes in training feel , is in my mind cruel!  Bute is an anti-inflamatory drug, it is not strong enough to mask a hairline fracture or any other major problem!

     The other drugs that act more like Cortisone, or the major pain killers are a different story.  They can be masking agents and most are already banned for a certain period of time before races.  

     My point is that each drug, and dose of that drug, needs to be taken into consideration.  To use a blanket ruling that all drugs need to be banned, is not in the best interest of the horses.  Any human athlete can attest to the soreness and minor pain that comes with keeping in top physical condition....Horses are the same way.  A horse in top physical condition is much less likely to take a bad step, duck out into other horses, or suffor a major breakdown.

     There are many more rules governing medications already in place than the general public knows of. Just ask Dutrow (now facing another suspension), and Asmussen who spent 6 months on the sidelines last year for their horse failing drug tests.

Answer 8

Well every horse that races should not be on any medicine for that matter when they are going to race. The horse should be scratched from the race if he is injured and yes while those who argue that any animal can race or if any sport can do things if the medicine is light like tylenol or whatever they were bringing up. Oh why because they mentioned altheletes doing it well i have news animals arent like us at all they do things different then us you cant say that. Did that animal feel like doing things we make them do. Let me see in my crystal ball oh i see the answer is no.

BESIDES  these horses should be run when they are four years old because that is when they are fully developed for carrying such weight and able to handle injuries far better than a juvivenile horse would, though their chances would still be slim.These horses we race look WAY TOOOO freaking dantity and be walking them they look like they are going to break a leg by walking.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: IF the horse has already bleeding problems you should not race the horse cause that passes that gene down to the next until they have a big bleeding problem and that puts presssure on them and hurts them. And that medicine is coating the problem you are only making it worse for the horse and the next generations to have this problem. Simply put that lasix on the ban with all medication because the horse should never be run with any injury for that matter.Horses can only take so much i dont think i would see you running in the marathon if you had asthema, or was very sick the day before the race. You would not run so the same should be for the horses.

HORSES THAT have a bleeding problem should not be run but they should have a happy home life with kids and doing other sports and they should be fixed because this will stop the over pop and the trait of bleeding being passed down from generation to generation. Then you will have happeir Healthier horses without these medications. SO outlaw all medications and they should not run if they have any injury a few days before the race. Just scratch him and race him in another race.

And you should not say that about big brown maybe you are sad cause of the money you lost get over it people and animals have a bad day and it was the hottest day for them ever so chill out and get on with life