Many horses in a competition sanctioned by various national organizations, such as the United States Equestrian Federation in the USA are also tested for improper drug use.
[1] Before the mid-1980s, the use of high potency performance altering substances in racing was less well controlled due to the inadequacy of analytical technology.
Around that time, highly sensitive ELISA testing of horse urine was introduced to racing regulators by a group at the University of Kentucky.
[2] This proprietary technology essentially solved the problem of the abuse of high potency drugs in racing horses.
Traces of therapeutic medications and dietary and environmental substances can be detected using current testing technology.
Estimates suggest as many as 50% of horses were doped during this time, leading to a higher incidence of injuries caused by insensitivity to pain and lack of proper muscle coordination - the principal drugs of the era were cocaine, heroin, strychnine, and caffeine.
[9] Recent advances in technology resulting in high sensitivity testing continue to enable the detection of ever smaller trace concentrations of medications.
[11][12] Thresholds (cutoffs) have long been used in human drug testing,[13] however, the concept has been slow to be accepted by horse racing regulators who rely on the mere presence of a substance as a potential rule violation.
When this happens, the logical result is that additional injury can occur, rapidly accelerating the need for ever more powerful drugs to keep a horse racing.
Official state testing reports do not, however, confirm that such use is widespread in post race samples, although it does occur.
Federal laws allowing great latitude for veterinarians to use medications pose a concern for racing regulators who believe improper or over use puts racehorses at greater risk of crippling injuries and death.
TranquilizersHorses can also be medicated to win by relaxing them, and allowing the horse to run its best possible race or show with an appearance.
BronchodilatorsImproving a horse's "wind" by opening its airways through the use of bronchodilators may also improve performance, especially in an animal that is sub-clinically broncho-constricted.
This technology is not particularly sensitive, and in the mid-1980s some horsemen were reportedly attempting to affect the outcome of horse races by using high potency narcotics, stimulants, bronchodilators, and tranquilizers with impunity.
It requires a drop of urine, can be performed relatively rapidly, is highly sensitive, and test results can be read by eye.