USDA Testing Produces Mixed Results
Friday, January 16, 2015
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) collected blood samples and “swabs” at the 2014 Celebration in their continued effort to explore ways to further HPA enforcement. The USDA utilizes gas chromatography technology to look at foreign substances and more recently has been pulling blood in an effort to look at potential substances that could be used to mask or numb an entry.
USDA personnel conducted random blood sampling of 103 horses at the Celebration and five of those horses tested positive for prohibited substances. According to Tanya Espinosa with USDA-APHIS, the guidelines used to determine positive tests were done so according to United States Equestrian Federation protocols
(https://www.usef.org/_IFrames/Drugs/Rules.aspx). Three horses tested positive for diclofenac, one for prednisolone and one for flunixin, ketoprofen and phenylbutazone.
Click here for USDA report.
The USDA “swabbed” 125 horses at the 2014 Celebration with 65 horses testing positive. As part of the USDA foreign substance testing via gas chromatography, USDA utilizes a zero tolerance for any foreign substance without incorporating a baseline such as the one utilized by USEF in blood testing. In breaking down the types of foreign substances found by USDA testing, 16 violations were categorized as counterirritants, 43 were counterirritants and masking agents and six were masking or numbing agents.
Click here to see the breakdown of violations and
click here to see the categories.
In neither report did USDA list the name of the horse or entry number of the horse that was tested or that produced a potential violation. The USDA has not used gas chromatography nor blood testing to disqualify any horse from competition or issue a formal HPA complaint. The USDA has used the gas chromatography results to issue letters of warning to applicable parties.
As part of the 2014 Celebration, a newly formed Veterinary Advisory Committee (VAC) also conducted random blood sampling. The VAC used a different list of banned substances from the USEF list used by USDA. The VAC conducted random blood sampling on 230 horses and 36 of those tested positive.
More Stories |
-
The online entry system is up and running for taking entries for the WHTA Fall Classic, to be held Sept 20-21, in White Pine Tennessee...
Read More
-
The Alabama Jubilee Charity Horse Show, scheduled for Oct. 25-26, at Morgan County Celebration Arena has selected Jerry Collier, Sam Sorrell and Joe Herald to mark the cards for this year's event.
Read More
-
Read More
-
Read More
-
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Florence Charity Horse Show scheduled for Saturday, September 14 has been postponed until spring.
Read More
-
The Walking Horse Trainers’ Association Fall Classic Horse Show has added an additional class to its schedule for their show to be held September 20-21 at the Great Smoky Mountains Expo Center in White Pine, TN...
Read More
-
The Kentucky Walking Horse Association has selected their judges for the 2019 Kentucky Celebration. The judging panel will consist of Kemp Martin, Rod Slagle and Jamie Tucker. The Kentucky Celebration will be held Sept. 20-21 in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
Read More
-
Wyatt Andrew Rippy was born August 30, 2019 to Nick and Abi Rippy of Shelbyville, Tennessee. He weighed 8 pounds and was 20 1/4 inches long. Proud grandparents are Andy and Lynn Rippy and Kenneth and Sherrie Armstrong.
Read More
-
In the interview that follows, Rodney Dick shares his thoughts after being crowned the Tennessee Walking Horse World Grand Champion with I'm Mayhem...
Read More
-
The nostalgic evening was at its climax Saturday, Aug. 31 as locals and horse enthusiasts comfortably mixed to welcome the start of the final Saturday evening of what had been a magnificent 81th anniversary Celebration in so many ways...
Read More
|