Does anyone else feel like strangling some of the Olympic riders?

Question

Rodrigo Pesso's horse Rufus tested positive for being drugged making this the 6th drugging case for the Olympics. What in the h**l is going on?

I know that some of the riders are claiming that they knew nothing about it and I truly hope that this is the case but when is this going to stop? I mean I really want to see the equestrian events continue, but at this rate they may not even make it to London in 2012. Maybe I'm being a little paranoid but I'm really not liking where all of this is heading. Thank goodness the eventers stayed safe. We really don't need anymore bad publicity in that area.

So whats you're take on the future for the olympic equestrian events. What do you think about all these doping cases? I just can't believe that so many horses at such high level competition could test positive for banned substances. And not knowing that it was a banned substance is not an excuse. If you're riding at that level then you had better find out whats allowed and whats not. Opinions?

Answer 1

It's not the riders, it's the OWNERS.   And, unfortunately, as much as we want it to be, it's not about the horses as much as IT IS ABOUT THE MONEY that comes with success.  It will always be this way as long as there are humans involved.   It's disgusting but it's the truth.  

Answer 2

I'm against drugging horses to make them perform "better."

But what bothered me more about the Olympics is the "Modern Pentathlon."

Did anyone see how bad those riders were? Honestly, if there is any example of professionals being unsafe, that's the place to see it. That event is right up there with people letting their three-year-old ride their stallion. I feel really bad for those horses being subjected to riders who really don't know how to ride and then do a jumper's course. No wonder there were so many injuries!

Answer 3

It is frustrating and at first I was a bit angry. When I learned that the primary banned substance found had just been added to the list, was derived from chili peppers, and wasn't banned almost anywhere else I wondered if maybe the rules are too strict. It wasn't even performance enhancing. Yes, shame on the riders to knowingly use banned substances, but to those whose grooms used creams and herbal linaments I feel rather bad for them. There are two sides to the coin and it's hard with horses as substances can remain in their system for a month or so. However, I wonder if there should be a drug test before they go to the olympics or before they compete as a point of reference? The scandal really hurts the horse world and something should be done.

Answer 4

I think drugging a horse is animal abuse.  It's not like a human athlete taking steroids, where the person using the steroids has a choice about whether to take them, and knows the risk to his own body.  The horse gets no say in the matter, but still has to suffer through side effects that may not show in a way noticeable to humans.  It can't say no, and it can't tell its human handlers if the drugs are hurting it or making it ill.  Really, just let the horses be horses without forcing them to take all these chemical cocktails.

Answer 5

yeah i find it really stupid that those people make it all the way to the Olympics and transport their horses there just to be disqualified.. like you think they would know not to use banned substances by now..  

Answer 6

These riders were using equi-block. It is very commonly used. It's all well and good for the Olympic Committee to give a list of forbidden substances but they should also put down the commonly used products that contain them. They are as much to blame. Also in many of these cases it isn't the rider but the groom that does it.

Answer 7

It's not just equestrian events that see doping cases. I remember quite a few years back when a gymnast lost her medal because her coach had given her Tylenol the night before.

The problem is, the Olympics have stricter rules on banned substances, and far more drugs are banned than in normal international competitions. Some riders honestly didn't know about the changes, others thought they had enough time to let the drugs wash out of their horses' systems, and I'm sure some just hoped not to get caught. You have to evaluate everything on a case-by-case basis.

Personally, I think some of the laws can get too strict. The Olympics are very demanding and our horses take a lot of strain jumping those huge obstacles over a short period of time. I think some of the banned medications need to be reconsidered. While I don't think horses should be shown on Bute or other anti-inflammatory meds, some of the non-steroidal drugs (which are what so many competitors tested positive for) are really pretty mild.  

Answer 8

ya i heard about that too...about rodrigo but they said they were gonna run the test once more cuz they werent sure lol =]]

Answer 9

You're exactly right- you would think that it wasn't worth the effort to go all that way.. when they know tests are being taken on all horses entering! Recent publications have been trying desperately hard to boost equestrian publicity, so the last thing we need to encourage the sport is our professional and peak-of-the-sport champions being labelled cheaters! I think they should think more about the consequences of what they are doing... or at least take more care to avoid dope situations!

Answer 10

You have to remember that the simplist thing can come up positive in horses.  Something so simple as putting cream on a wound can show up positive on a drug test done to the horse.  This was the case for the Norwegian horses (muscle cream!).  Yes, everyone should know what exactly is a banned substance, but it's hard to fault someone for putting a cream on a horse that may help them after a hard day of competition...of which will most likely not aid their performance in the next days' competition.  A lot of times, it is the groom that will do something like this not even knowingly and then "BAM!" they are pulling up positive drug tests.  Unfortunately, horses aren't like humans in which if a human athlete is in need of a tylenol or advil for muscle pain before competition, they are allowed to proceed to take it and still "legally" compete.  Horses on the other hand unfortunately cannot.

ETA:  Yes, you would think that people would be very aware that they should not be putting anything topical onto a horse in such a high level of competition BUT the fact of the matter is that a groom probably thought that he/she was doing the horse good by helping it relax a little after such difficult competition.  It will be the grooms that will be taking the heat for all that has gone on because it has now jeopordized so many international riders.  Some also will tend to think that whatever is given to the horse would pass through its digestive system by the time the testing occurs...but their timing is off and therefore the horse tests positive (just throwing another curveball out at this situation).

The learning curve of this: if you are in any international competition, do not feed differently and do not put any topical treatments on your horse for any reason at all.

ETA (again haha): Yeah I hear ya on the "equestrian sports are on thin ice".  But I also think it's a bit "funny" that suddenly equestrian sports seem to be 'on thin ice' and when Canada wins 2 medals...a silver in the team and a gold in the individuals...I don't know but to me that also seems a bit fishy (I am from Canada).  However, I highly doubt they will get rid of equestrian sports in the Olympics because they have been a part of the Olympics for sssooo long.

ETA (yup...#3 lol): horselover...they do have another sample that they are going to be testing.  Every horse has a sample A which is originally tested and a sample B for this reason.  It doesn't mean that he will be excused from this issue necessarily if sample B turns out to be fine though.

I didn't get a chance to watch any of the eventing, but I watched some of the dressage (team finals) and I most definitley watched the show jumping (I didn't get the channel that all the equestrian was being aired on so I live streamed it from the broadcasters website).  Eventing in itself though has taken a ton of heat in the past year or so mainly because of the events that took place during the Kentucky Rolex this past year with a couple of the horses dying and (I believe) last year with whats-her-face (can't think of her name) having to face a tribunal to decide if she will be held responsible for killing her horse.  There is also the much debated Rolkur in dressage with Anky having to face a hearing last year.