Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

re: Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

Dawn in MN — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:25:19 GMT

Old Old Cat, sorry about the comments others made. Horse folks can be very know-it-all. I don't question anything you are doing with your filly, she is your filly, do what you think best. I read Bloodhorse, but I got to this article through a link from "Clean Horse Racing News." They have a website at www.cleanhorseracing.org/Default.asp

Here's the deal, I don't claim to be an expert on the details. I do know that I have spent less and less time following racing these days.

Between the drugs, the slaughter issues, the breakdowns and the disappointments the sport just breaks my heart sometimes. Certainly getting a uniform set of rules and standards would be a step forward. It seems pretty simple to me. Like the clean horse racing motto says, 'Let the horse, not the drugs, determine the outcome."

I love this sport because I love the horses. I hope Sen. Tom Udall's vision of a federal agency taking control away from state racing commissions and giving authority over the sport’s rules to a federal agency comes to fruition. I am tired of the state commissions inconsistency and fluid ever-changing rules. How does anyone in this business who races in multiple states make sense of the current mess? It is ridiculous.

re: Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

Brigitte — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:53:27 GMT

Medication reform and uniform rules would be very, very good for racing. The NY Times missed the boat on the real story: legal drugs are a bigger problem than illegal drugs because they are given automatically, supposedly to prevent problems. But Furosemide failed completely to deliver on the promise of horses that race more often (more on Furosemide below). Look at IHA's completely legal and normal vet record: needle, needle, needle, even for vitamins and electrolytes. Needle, needle, needle for preventative medicine. Was disease prevented? Who knows. Drugs have side effects, check out the effect of chronic clenbuterol use. Legal, preventative drugging is so common and so pervasive it's like a vet tax on racing. Where's the evidence it helps? We have permissive drugging and a parade of injuries - let's do something different.

At least get rid of race day medication. A reasonable Furosemide compromise is to phase it out starting with 2 year olds. Studies done in South Africa show it reduces (but does not prevent) bleeding by reducing blood pressure due to dehydration (minerals, including calcium, are also lost). Water loss: about 20 lbs. It masks the hereditary tendency to bleed heavily (heavy bleeding is rare) and this tendency seems to be spreading in South Africa. No studies of long term effects. (I'm a biologist who used genetics in my research so policies that encourage the spread of genetic defects aren't just a theoretical issue to me.)

Owners who won't participate unless they can use Furosemide to dehydrate their horses and leach minerals from their blood before racing them might not be a big loss if it stops the deterioration of the breed.

re: Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

Brigitte — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:56:02 GMT

Old Old Cat: Kincsem is right. I don't know why your filly is so fearful, but patience and training is the answer. The "natural daily calm supplement", whatever it is, acted as a strong tranquilizer and probably won't help her race well after she calmly allows herself to be saddled and put in the gate.

re: Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

mets1962 — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:06:52 GMT

There is no legitimate reason for any race day meds. NY raced for 100 + years without race day medication. Now after 16 years its indispensable. Get rid of all racing day medication. You allow one and they will find away to inject others that the labs can't trace.

re: Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

RacehorseExperiment — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:53:11 GMT

I agree that training is needed, not calming supplements. Let's use old fashioned horsemanship, not go to the pharmacy every time we have an issue.

As for the NY Times. They are just doing what racing is doing. While the racing industry tries to minimize the problem, the NY Times is merely taking the view that normal people take about it.

re: Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

Sue MacGray — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:12:42 GMT

I agree with Mr. Mitchell. Nero is fiddling while Rome burns. If horse racing is ever to expand, there must be a set/strict policy and no more wrist-slapping for offenders. I also agree with Kincsem above. I don't believe that a horse should require "natural daily calm supplement" just to get them into the gate. I've worked with horses and ridden for years (not race horses though). I find it sad that so many people today are pro any kind of drug when horses were raced for years without them and horses overseas do not seem to require any (or as many). I realize there are many differences in training styles as well as in racing formats between 'them and us' but I can't think that's enough reason(ing). I just read all of the medications that IHA ran on (many that were preventative and all were legal/allowed) and I found THAT pretty surprising. It seems as though we've gotten to the bottom of what was once (merely) a slippery slope and many things are accepted that maybe should not be. I hope they can come quickly to a decision of some kind.

re: Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

big john t — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 20:57:23 GMT

As an owner I've always been against racing my horses on medications (except furosemide) and never let any of my horses run on anything except furosemide. If furosemide is banned the horse racing business is (for all practical purposes) finished. We will (if we are lucky) have an average of 4 horse fields. I know owners, including myself, who didn't attend the Fasig Tipton sale because of this issue. We won't be buying or breeding until we know if Lasix will be permitted.

re: Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

kincsem — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:29:22 GMT

Old Old Cat,

Sorry, but there IS another time-tested (yes, for 2400 years now) method for getting a horse saddled quietly in the paddock, and into the starting gate without incident and it does not involve doping the animal, or messing with their hormones...it's called training.

And if you take enough time, and have enough consistency and patience, as an old hand at this,who has worked with difficult horses, I can tell you it works.

;-)

re: Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

Needler in Virginia — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 02:20:46 GMT

Well said, but won't happen because of the furosemide issue. How long, OH!, how long will it take to JUST DO IT????

BLAH! No cheers today.

re: Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

hbc — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:38:37 GMT

I am sick and tired of hearing how joe drape is a friend and supporter of the horse industry. He willfully contributed to and supported that hatchet job of the new york times. Every track in the country should ban him from their property and he should receive no cooperation from the industry.

re: Just Do It - by Eric Mitchell

Old Old Cat — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:25:33 GMT

I am brand new to Thoroughbred racehorse breeding. I have one broodmare and one yearling filly who I hope to race next year as a two year old. She was a holy terror. Not vicious, but so much into the flight/fight frenzy that she posed a risk to her handlers, even knocking down and hurting one of them. We put her on a natural daily calm supplement and she went from Tony the tiger to Mary's little lamb. When we race her are we going to be alble to give her supplements to allow her to saddle up quietly, behave in the post parade, and load easily in the starting gate, or are we going to have the opposite? A dancing, prancing Big Brown using up all his energy leaving the paddock. A horse refusing to load in a Breeders Cup Race? Or a horse we have to scratch before we even get there. My big complaint with the Jockey Club and the other decision makers who have embarked on this witch hunt is that they are lumping everything into "all drugs" whether they are beneficial for the health of horses or just plain cheating.

We need to know the ground rules if we are to play in the game. Vague and shifting parameters are unfair. Unfair to the betting public, the trainers, but most of all unfair to the breeders and owners.