Evidently, Laurie Laxon, New Zealand's "best horse trainer" supports Equine Recoup - a "specifically formulated [drug] to alleviate oxidative stress and support a rapid recovery from muscle injury and fatigue incurred during training and competition by the equine athlete" that won't disqualify your horse from racing.
Do you have any thoughts on this? What about drug testing in general in race horses? Do you think testing is too strict, or not strict enough?
I think this could be a great thing, provided it's actually beneficial to the horse, and not being used to cover up an injury that needs time off to recover.
-- Edited by Barnmouser Ash on Wednesday 23rd of March 2011 04:53:27 AM
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Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I gotta say, I feel the same. If it were for the benefit of the horse to maximize their natural talent, that would be one thing, but I don't think that's the case. However, I think Thoroughbred (specifically) breeding advancements have been fairly stagnant for the last few decades. Every so often there are "super horses", but I think we've plateaued as far as creating athletes with the maximum athletic ability an animal can have before it turns into something like.. a cheetah :P There's always room for improvement, and we can alter the genes we choose to combine in order to produce horses more suited to the things we expect them to do, but I think we're reaching the top of the scale here.
Who knows :) I'm certainly no expert. Just my $0.02 ;)
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Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I know virtually nothing of the grittier, inner racing process but I would be happy, even more excited, to see slower race times(distances are moot), longer careers for the horses ON the track. Older start mandates for the horses will allow heavier (reads: healthier) weight minimums for the jockeys, less critical breakdown, less incidents of it and/or just not so fragile all the way around, thus less need for some chemicals. This would benefit ALL involved. Gee. Even the horses ; )
The only interest I might have in such a drug and its use would be after a given injury, upon retirement of the horse from racing, in hopes of salvaging/recouping : ) what is left for a new career, long term, suitable home.
-- Edited by justice on Thursday 31st of March 2011 04:33:46 PM
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"....there is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life..."
As always, you steal my thoughts. I really like your thoughts about jockey weight minimums, as well. I remember (bear with me, cheesy analogy) watching Seabiscuit when it first came out: there's a scene where Red is "monitoring" what he eats in order to gain/lose weight as necessary. This is probably an almost unheard-of problem in the "real world" because we're more concerned with anorexic celebrities, or ballerinas purging to look pretty, but I think weight/eating disorders in jockeys could be a fairly large problem.
Everyone get fat and run slowly!
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Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Weight management for jockeys trying to meet and maintain weight has long been aa widespread issue as is the inavailability of decent health insurance and benefits suitable to the occupational hazards they face daily. Not too many companies want to insure jockies affordably. Sx to be penalized for doing something you love, y'know?
Anyway, jockeys have suffered since the inception of horseracing from renal failure, drug addictions, alcoholism, bulemia/anorexia, cardiac conditions, diabetes, neuropathies and a plethora of digestive upsets all in the name of making weight. No weight, no ride. No ride, no home. Injuries from the ride not included.... Can be a good life I suppose, some make it on their own tho only few, but it sure is a hard one. It is the rare one that can retire healthy and better than 40 years old with minimal scars and pain. I know it is a voluntary vocation, what career isn't? They just deserve better.
-- Edited by justice on Thursday 31st of March 2011 04:59:41 PM
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"....there is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life..."
Not to mention getting up at 3am just to ride somebody's horse for free in hopes that they'll hire you to ride the horse later in the day in a race (this includes big names too). The jockey life is a hard life, I give kudos to anybody who is a jockey as a career choice.
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Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. - John Wayne
Racing is a broad topic on so many levels. Easy for me to stray off topic. See? TOLDya I couldn't go out in public without meds/supervision.. : ) Sorry!
Back to you, Ash : )
-- Edited by justice on Friday 1st of April 2011 05:20:07 PM
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"....there is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life..."