[trail blazer]

I'm just curious....There are so many schools of thought out there as to what works and how. I know I recently had a steroid shot for a sinus infection and I felt better right away. It made me wonder how the horses feel!

I'll start -

Adequan (joints) and progesterone to helo his mind settle in at the show.

Others?????

[Montanas_Girl]

Nothing except a little bute when he gets off the trailer at home.

[jumperbabe]

Not everyone is simple as you Grey, although I am sure your pony is one of the happier ones out there....

[*jumper*]

Nothing.

My horse isn't technically a hunter (I do jumpers with him), but at the last show, he was shown hunters and equitation as well. He did great (a few firsts and fourth in a classic) on nothing but hay and some sweet feed

[meupatdoes]

6 scoops grain per day, free choice hay, regular steel shoes, and post work-out rub down of the legs and back with an absorbine/vetrolin/water combination.

And lots of trail rides.

Keeps him going great, knock on wood!

[gottagrey]

I would suggest you read the USEF list of banned substances, then the ingredients of anything you might think of putting in or on your horse. As some of the most benign sounding things are forbidden substances such as Lavender..

[Eyemadonkee]

Another "none" for this hunter, with the exception of Adequan, but he'd get that regardless of showing.

ETA: Ulcergard!

[copper1]

beyond tons of Mrs Pasture's cookies and carrots-NOTHING!

[longride]

You're not going to get anyone saying they give meds to their show horse to help it at a show. As another poster said, read your rule book. Anything that changes a horse's mental state or way of going is illegal. Therapeutic medication levels must be so low as to be ineffective on the day of the show. The "cocktails" people talk about may be standard practice in some barns, but that doesn't make them legal.

[00Jumper]

Three of our horses: Nothing! Other than an absorbine rub-down on the legs, standing wraps, hoof packing and a nice rub-down after a hard day's showing. And maybe an obscene amount of treats.

One horse: I will say off the bat that the horse's medications are very carefully monitored with her show schedule so as to be ineffective during the show. But the poor girl is 20, so she's on dex, azium, bute after a hard ride, legend AND adequan, not to mention her SmartPak. Poor girl is getting too old and creaky to do the show thing anymore - we think this was her last year (and she may have just had her last show a couple weeks ago - we'll see how she feels coming into the last three on the barn's schedule). I'm sure she'll miss it, as she still runs onto the trailer with great gusto when she knows we're going somewhere, but I'm sure (knowing her) she'll come to love the life of a pampered pasture puff just as much. Besides, she can be on her medications 24/7 rather than being pulled off sporadically for shows, which should help her be a lot more comfortable.

[PaintPony]

I have a middle aged horse who has some creaky moments, so she always gets Legend before a show, as well as the legal amount of bute.

I take more than the legal amount of Advil to get myself through a show (or even a ride), so I feel like I owe her at least the same opportunity.

If I thought she was lame or unhappy however, she would not show.

[Irish Ei's]

Pergolide

[Smiles]

People won't tell OR
I bet half the people here don't know their horses are get meds at shows. You may not be around in the early morning or late afternoon/evening when you trainer or the assistant goes into your horses stall and comes out with an empty syringe... It happens all the time and these are barns with good reputations...

[Against all Odds]

Smiles, I'd like to know some of these barns who apparently drug all of there horses for shows without anyone knowing. If they are BNT's like you say then they are likely at very large shows with drug use rules and drug testers, so it is highly unlikely that they are just injecting all of there horses for the h*ll of it and not getting caught. Also, someone is paying the bills for these so called injections and unless you are completely clueless you are going to notice that you are getting charged for the stuff.

[Mia412]

My horse gets only his regular feed & rice bran . . . I, however can no longer get through too many shows without what is probably an illegal dose of Advil!

[TheHunterKid90]

I don't have a trainer etc so no chance of my horse getting something I don't know about! =]
My guy's on once a year Legend and bi annual Adaquan....as a preventative measure and nothing more.
He gets vetrolin baths after most hard rides and poulticed with Like Ice after shows...and that's it. =]

[whbar158]

I give my older gelding bute bc sometimes he comes out stiff after being in for 3 days. I agree that most people likely don't know what their horse is getting if the work with a trainer, not saying they are giving bad stuff. I see most barns giving bute or banimine and the owner might now know, or robaxin (sp) all at ok doses.

[Biscotti]

Smiles, I'd like to know some of these barns who apparently drug all of there horses for shows without anyone knowing. If they are BNT's like you say then they are likely at very large shows with drug use rules and drug testers, so it is highly unlikely that they are just injecting all of there horses for the h*ll of it and not getting caught. Also, someone is paying the bills for these so called injections and unless you are completely clueless you are going to notice that you are getting charged for the stuff.

I have had trainers inject my horses with illegal substances and they billed me for it as show health care, or something along those lines. I was informed that the charge was for liniments, poultices, rubdowns, and bandaging. None of my horses have ever been drug tested, either. Some shows have more "active" drug testers than others.

[whbar158]

Smiles, I'd like to know some of these barns who apparently drug all of there horses for shows without anyone knowing. If they are BNT's like you say then they are likely at very large shows with drug use rules and drug testers, so it is highly unlikely that they are just injecting all of there horses for the h*ll of it and not getting caught. Also, someone is paying the bills for these so called injections and unless you are completely clueless you are going to notice that you are getting charged for the stuff.

Many clients know their horse is likely going to get some medication at the horse show like bute and know they will be charged a med fee. And there are plenty of people out there injecting stuff that "doesn't" test or injecting mg or other minerals and enzymes to try to make a horse quiet. I know what the rule book says about giving mood altering stuff but that doesn't mean people bend that rule and use anything they can think of that wont test. It just means they aren't going to give a tranq but there is other stuff out there.

[gottagrey]

Ha - my horse was drugged tested his first time out last year at a rated show - and I had let a young Jr. Rider borrow him for her first rated show. At any rate - as I mentioned previously even the most benign sounding things can pose a problem later on - as the drug tester told me - some Jrs. thinks its cute to share their sodas w/ their horses - um that'll get you a positive test.

I will say I did hear of about a trainer recently bragging on his use of 'medications" as in - if everyone else is doing why can't I- sort of standard operating procedure. My trainer will not even use vetrolin or anything like that on the horses - just rubbing alcohol- goodness knows I'm sure that has a banned substance in it somewhere too.