Performance Enhancing Drugs and Horse Racing
The dark and cruel history and foreseeable changes
Since I was around 10 years old of age, horses have been an animal that I adored. So much so I bothered my parents enough for them to get me lessons one day. I wasn’t quite as tall as I am today (6'2'’) back then. That was my first realization when I got on a horse initially. I felt like I was a skyscraper. After that I was bewildered at the speed of the animal and the control that it required to handle that power. It was not the hours of lessons I took that surmounted to me finally being able to ride a horse well but the human to animal bond I acquired over time with my horse. At the end of the day, even at that age, horses were wild animals to me that required respect to be able to ride them. I found that out quickly when I landed straight on my back side the first time. I was fortunate to be taught by an instructor how to ride bare back and his philosophy today is something I still carry when encountering any majestic animal. The idea that these animals were not made to serve us but to create a bond with and work with to achieve something greater. I think that greater achievement to us as humans involves connecting with the animal kingdom. In hindsight, although I haven’t been able to ride horses since I was about 11 years old, I have come to appreciate animals so much more today because of that.
It was not until I got older that I became aware of horse competitions. These involved the shows displaying the agility of the horses and the rider through obstacles and other means but also when I became aware of horse racing. I had no interest in this aspect of horseback riding when I was younger but could understand the allure for the rider. The feeling a rider experiences when you allow the horse to ride at the speed it can is marvelous. The variable that concerned me early on was the potential monetary gain people were seeking from this sport. People were pouring their entire paychecks into certain horses betting at the local station in my town. It was not far from where I lived so I got to see many people who won and lost leave the establishment and this always left me perplexed. As with any sport I could understand why people would bet on certain teams or groups of people because they just had more talent. For some reason something felt off about betting on horses and it was not until I ended up pursuing the career I am in today I would find out what that is.
Fast-forward to today. I am finishing my last month of pharmacy school and believe I have grown in to my role as a drug expert. I feel I have a complete understanding for not only what the therapeutic use of drugs are but also their misleading uses as well. “Doping” is a term used in sports for administering drugs to (a racehorse, greyhound, or athlete) in order to inhibit or enhance sporting performance. This was a concept I became familiar with early on because I was a big fan of the Olympics and saw they had a commission completely dedicated to testing and outlawing the deceptive practice. Notice how in the definition racehorses are included as potential abusers of performance enhancing drugs. Now obviously horses have no control over what they consume or are injected with when in a stable but those who stand to benefit from a horse performing well in a race surely have a say.
It is within the past 5 years that there has been much talk in the horse racing community about doping horses to perform better in races. For those who stand to benefit with little to no recourse, this is an extremely profitable business. This all becomes possible because the commissions out there such as Water Hay Oats Alliance (WHOA) are not strong enough to combat the overwhelming amount of horses being doped. The regulations from state to state differ in which certain drugs are allowed in racing and creates a large amount of confusion. This coupled with misbranding of certain drugs for therapeutic purposes for a horse sets the horses up for short-term success but also a short life-span.
This abusive practice seemed unethical when I was younger and as of recently still remains. On March 9th, 27 individuals including veterinarians, drug distributors, and horse-trainers were all accused of covertly providing performance enhancing drugs to racehorses. Of the many drugs used, NSAIDs, Epoietan alfa, and others were used to increase the stamina, reduce the pain felt by the horses, and allow them to work harder and longer with no appropriate care for their complications from taking these drugs. NSAIDs can increase a horses risk for ulceration and bleeding on top of masking pain that may be detrimental to their bones. Epoietan alfa stimulates production of red blood cells and increases hemoglobin and hematocrit which by itself can increase a horse’s thrombotic risk as well as put strain on their heart. The culmination of all three groups involved is saddening and especially for veterinarians who swear an oath to do no harm to these animals. The good thing about this is that these individuals are being held responsible for their crimes. This in addition to there finally being funding from The Jockey club which is the organization responsible for registration of all race horses and thoroughbreds given to WHOA will better equip them to combat doping in these sports and help save and prolong many of the lives of the horses that are in these competitions.
Thank you all for reading my piece. I hope it was insightful.
Best,
Walker C. Brown
