Why do they make these drugs for horses?

Question

Do you think that if they didn't make these drugs that things would be better or worse?

Answer 1

in answer to your question, there will always be a supplement, just look back in the old days trainers use too give there horses cocaine, caffeine even home made elixirs to make there horses run better, so yea it could be worse!

now at the risk of being abused..... not all drugs are bad and should be banned! simple drugs like penacilan extremly usefull and have saved a lot of horses lives!

if your talking about steroids, i believe there is a general misconception! you see when some one says horses and steroids in the one sentance they automatically compare that with human steroid use! when there are huge differences! a human athlete on roids may weigh up to 80-90kgs a horse will weigh up to 500kgs, so if you give a human 20 millagrams of a steroid and a horse 20 millagrams of steroid which do you yhink will show an improvement?

also did you know that a particular steroid can improve a horses behavior, making the horse not so edgy! other steroids can be given to increase appetite, EXAMPLE..... when a horse travels on a long flight over seas it will lose weight and condition so when he arives at the destination if given the particular steroid he can gain that weight and condition back quickly with minimal interuption before race day!

1 drug that should be banned world wide is lassix, its a drug given to horses to prevent them bleeding its basically a masking agent!

finally i just want to say i do not condone drug use, i just see both sides of the arguement!

Answer 2

Good question ,Nancy

But many drugs made for horse's where made for humans first ,, Bute is one ,, it's been around a long time,, many like bleeding Drugs they have for humans,,



Most trainer do not make them ,, There was a guy in OKLAHOMA That had a brother that made it for him ,,

Elephant juice was one

I think some are nessacery For heath reasons

Asprian is very harmfull to horses so is Bute ,,

But I really think since horse racing has been around some one has tried everything to make their horse better then the other ,,

Hormons have been around a long time also , ESEP has been used for Kids

But its works different on horses

I feel some type of steriods are needed in some horses that have been under lots of stress ,,

Alot of them are like a anti depressiant ,,

They have given Equipose for many yrs Until PEOPLE STARTED useing it and the abused it ,,

All it did was help with animals eat better and if a stallion got cut early and is just out of his natuaral hormons I have used it on Horses that came off the track to get them not so depressed and to eat better and to make him feel better about him self ,,

I never have drugged a horse,

I have used some drugs

But what is a drug ?something the body makes anyway ?

or his brain receptors are not working any more!

Just like in  humans ,,  

I know more Show Horse People DRUGGING horses then race horse trainers ""

Truly .. They abuse ""ace"" like crazy ,,,It does more harm then they think ,,

I think it should all be controlled Strictly >>Not outlawed all together,,

Hope this helps a bit ??

Answer 3

They make drugs for horses for the same reasons that they make drugs for humans!

So the simple way to answer your question, is by asking another question.....

Do you think that if they didn't make these drugs for humans, that things would be better or worse?

The answer, of course is that things would be much worse!

Drugs are needed and for the great majority of the time, used properly!  It is the timing and place of the latest infractions that has brought this matter to the forefront!

Are there drug problems in horseracing? yes

Are they widespread? No

Are they in need of fixing? yes

It is the prominence of the horses and races that is making this into the big can of worms that it is.  But, in the long run, the sport will be better off for having gone through it!

Answer 4

Worse... at least someone makes the drugs and they're tested before they're given to the animals.  If the drug companies didn't make the drugs for horses, then trainers would find other things to give their horses... either they'd mix up drugs themselves or they'd give human aspirin to their horses... none of that can be a good thing.  Sometimes a horse needs to take some medication... sometimes the horse gets a cut in the pasture and they need some bute to ease the pain... sometimes horses colic and they need some banamine to fix it.  You sometimes have to take medication and horses are the same way.  The problem is that there are appropriate times to take medication... horses shouldn't take it on race day... we need the drugs, but we need better regulations.  Banning the production of the drugs is not the solution.