In the March 21 & 28 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse, the author expressed a popular solution—one that’s rarely expressed publicly—to a problem that’s not going away. We decided to share his Horseman’s Forum on www.coth.com.

I attended the Town Hall for the “Accountability for Drugs and Medication Violations” at the U.S. Equestrian Federation Annual Meeting in Lexington, Ky., as well as the counterpart meeting in Orlando, Fla., at the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Annual Meeting.

Of course, there were several breeds and disciplines represented at USEF, and I don’t pretend to understand the problems associated with them other than hunters and jumpers. Even in that world there are now vast differences in expertise between hunters and jumpers and even hunt seat equitation versus jumper seat equitation.

Therefore, the following should be prefaced on the fact that my expertise is centered in the “show hunter” world, and the premise expressed may or may not apply to the many other breeds and disciplines, and I understand that the international world needs to be separated from the national world. I would think, however, the problem exists in any horse sport when there’s a need for the animal to be quieter and calmer. 

There were some good points made by various individuals in Kentucky that should be noted.

One was that a “set” amount of acepromazine would not be acceptable since different horses (and sizes) react differently to the drug, and “one size can’t fit all.” As for the specific drug and dosage, the jury is out as far as I am concerned, and that would need to be carefully addressed by veterinary science.

A safety concern was also expressed, but the correct dosage of the correct drug has never made a horse any more dangerous than they already are. As a matter of fact, the quick, erratic animal more than likely can be the one who is put in the “dangerous” category. If a horse is over-medicated to the dangerous level, the trace test will be the prosecution. With the testing technology today, even small overages can be detected, and that has been proven time and time again.

Quieting Options

When a “quieter” horse is needed, what are the options? Does it mean another horse is needed or greater horsemanship expertise? I would submit that the alternatives are extremely uncomplicated on the surface:

More work and in many cases an inhumane amount of work (longeing, etc., etc.), which leads to unsoundness problems that eventually shorten the animal’s career. This doesn’t take horsemanship expertise and really leads to more frequent trips to your veterinarian. This also becomes a breeding ground for various painkillers and anti-inflammatories, some legal and some not.

Get rid of the horse, sell him into an outfit that can “deal with it.” This would include a change of jobs such as hunter to jumper, eventing, etc. Easier said than done, particularly when trying to recoup your investment. An ancillary situation here involves finding another trainer who is “better” because his or her horses are quieter. Certainly, the honest trainer can be at a disadvantage here. 

Learn to ride better. While learning to deal with varying temperaments is No. 1 on the “how to” list, the more “rideable” horse in the show ring will usually win. The great hunter riders did not learn to do what they do by riding only quiet horses. However, when it’s show time, at least in the hunter ring, the nicest horse should win, and when two or more quality horses go perfectly, the one who doesn’t play on the turn wins. 

This doesn’t have anything to do with the judge’s willingness to use a “fresh” horse, but rather it has to do with separating the performances. Admittedly, I am talking about the highest level, but that is where we all strive to be.

Use quieting medications to supplement the work. There are many, many supplements for “quieting” on the market, and many of them are endorsed as sponsors of our national organizations. Even though most are advertised as “will not test,” I am seeing drug positives destroy wonderful horsemen who were not trying to cheat. Of course, they were trying to win, but they were also protecting their horses and the safety of their athletes.

We hear about the inhumane treatment of our horses caused by medications, but we need to focus on the many inhumane methods that can be used to create a quiet horse. Illegal medications not only mess up the playing field, but they can have terrible side effects including founder or organ damage. These problems exist because drugs are being used for purposes for which they were not intended. Even a natural substance, if administered in excessive doses, can cause side effects and cause the animal to feel poor. If one does not feel well, that one “is quieter,” and that certainly is inhumane. 

Become a better trainer. I believe this has been covered above. The ultimate goal of any horse show trainer is for a horse/rider to perform “perfectly.” At the end of the day, this trainer also should want to have another day with a happy, healthy horse and a safe and more efficient rider.

We are seeing an enormous uptick in positive drug violations, which in many cases are catastrophic for those involved. I don’t believe that more drugs are being used, but rather the testing technology is getting better. This makes it harder and harder for the cheater to cheat, but there will always be cheaters, and this will never change.

Due to an enormous use of resources, for which we as exhibitors are paying, many are being caught. Unfortunately, the “best” cheaters will win more than their fair share, and from a professional standpoint, the real frustration comes from the fact that many of the “best” attract clients because of the win percentage. 

This problem is serious in the hunter world. The solutions thus far have created mistrust on many levels, to say nothing of the expensive lawsuits in which only the lawyers are winning, and the governing bodies are financially reeling.

A huge change is needed in this culture, which encompasses the doctrine that “quiet is good” and the use of medications to help this cause is criminal. The idea of using “quieting” medications to cheat need not be an issue if a legal amount of safe drugs is allowed. The cheaters would be the losers, and the horses would be the winners. There would be no reason to cheat because everyone would be on the same playing field. The ideas that the “perception” of these practices would be harmful to the game would need to be explained publicly, just as I am attempting to do in this article. 

Reasons This Works

To summarize the advantages of allowing controlled quieting medications:

The use of illegal substances to “quiet” an animal would go away.

No exhibitor/trainer would have the advantage of winning due to a “quieter” animal.

The longe line and other much more inhumane practices would disappear.

The lawsuits surrounding these cases would disappear, solving serious time and financial problems for both the good guys and the bad.

The dangerous side effects of quieting medications, even many of the legal ones, would no longer be an issue. Only a trace amount of safe medications would be allowed, and the animals would be far better off. Furthermore, every exhibitor, new and old, would be educated in this culture.

Drug testing technology will not solve this problem. As soon as one drug is detected, the real cheaters will find another, most likely a dangerous substance. The sport would only need to test for the amount of certain “prescribed” medications, which would cut the cost of enforcement enormously.

We are also seeing many honest, competent horsemen having their careers put on hold simply for trying to provide the best experience for their clients and horses. Many cases of unknowingly using an illegal medication for this purpose are out there. These professionals are financially devastated, to say nothing of their damaged reputations. 

There is a fine line between winning and losing, particularly at the highest levels of the hunter world. Under this scenario, the “nicest” horse that is ridden well will win. Furthermore, that nice horse will, most likely, have a much longer “shelf life” due to the preparation change.

No one would expect this culture change to happen overnight, although it could. The solutions to a serious problem for man and beast need to be discussed with this answer in the mix. If we want to reward the “good guys” and do away with the unfair practices of the “bad guys,” a controlled amount of a quieting substance(s) should be written into the rules.

The horse would be the real winner.

This Horseman’s Forum appeared in the March 21 & 28 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse, which is the Horse Show Issue. We’ll continue the conversation on the topic in the April 11 & 18 issue of the Chronicle with the Horse Care article “Why Not Just Allow A 1/2 CC Of Ace?” What are you missing if you don’t subscribe?

“Ernie” Oare, president and CEO of The Oare Agency and EMO Stables LLC, is a U.S. Equestrian Federation hunter, hunter seat equitation and hunter breeding judge. He’s active in horse show management, equine appraisals and horse show facility consulting. A trainer of show hunters and race horses for six decades, he’s been on the board of the Virginia Horse Shows Association, Virginia Equine Museum Foundation, National Steeplechase Association, Virginia Thoroughbred Association, Virginia Horseman’s Foundation and the Virginia Gold Cup Association, and is president and chairman of the Virginia Horse Center Foundation. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he lives in Warrenton, Va., with wife and fellow horseman and judge Betty Oare. They have two sons, Morey, 45, and James, 35.