Why would a Prize-winning horse be given tonic containing both arsenic and strychnine by his handler?

Question

Is that standard treatment/feeding of race horses?

http://sports.yahoo.com/rah/news?slug=ap-australia-pharlap&prov=ap&type=lgns

Answer 1

Thanks for sharing this - I appreciated reading your and the answerers summaries.

Answer 2

They dope horses!!! Geez, then why are they making a big fuss about Barry Bonds and all the other athletes who shoot up enhancers!

Answer 3

According to the last paragraph of this article:  http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/...

Arsenic has historically been used as an appetite stimulant in horses.  It also promotes the shedding of old dead hair and the regrowth of a shiny new coat. It's actually still used in some commercial preparations.

And according to this article:  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/...

Phar Lap's trainer gave the horse tonics that contained arsenic, strychnine, belladonna, cocaine and caffeine.  The article says those ingredients were given to horses in small quantities in the past, as stimulants, before a race.

Answer 4

just remember this was in the late 20s early 30s! the technology available to day was not around back then, so they wouldn't have had the knowledge that we do today!

i cant tell you exactly why he was given tonics or ointments with arsenic and or strychnine, i an only assume it had its benefits given in the correct doses, I'm thinking this was probably an accidental over dose, perhaps while Tommy was was making his potions he mis-read the ingredients or the amount of a particular ingredient.

it was reported after his death that big red (phar-lap) wasn't given anything new IE::(drugs tonics or ointments) so one can only assume it was a tragic accident!

Answer 5

this horse has been dead for about 75 years.

and it was probably something that they gave it for him to build stamina, but they most likely gave it too much.

but no, i'm almost positive that arsenic and strychnine  isn't standard treatment/feeding of race horses.