Q-Racing Journal, June 29, 2012 – In November 2010, the American Quarter Horse Association gathered together a group of industry experts, including horsemen, officials and medication experts, to discuss the state of medication use in American Quarter Horse racing. Since then, the Association has worked with industry leaders to address matters regarding the use of medications. With recent occurrences of serious medication violations, the Association confirms its stance on the proper use of medications in racing American Quarter Horses, and calls for the industry to further address the issues.
“The American Quarter Horse Association firmly believes racing must be fair and clean for all involved,” said American Quarter Horse Association Executive Vice President Don Treadway Jr. “We also know that recent events are not representative of the actions of tens of thousands of our members, owners and trainers. We continue to work to develop more uniformity within the industry and to further deter the few who seek to cheat.”
AQHA Statement on Medication Use
The American Quarter Horse Association continues its longstanding support of the racing industry and its horsemen. This includes racing that is clean, fair and provides a great experience for the horse, jockey, owner and fan base. AQHA continuously works to ensure not only the integrity and welfare of American Quarter Horses, but also the integrity and welfare of the entire horse industry.
AQHA urges stewards and racing authorities in every racing jurisdiction to levy the maximum penalties allowable against people who are doping our horses, endangering their lives, the lives of jockeys and horsemen and cheating our fans. AQHA also advocates that stronger penalties be developed uniformly that will ban these cheaters from our industry for life. The use of illegal substances will not be tolerated and AQHA is exploring all options to use our resources and funding to assist in identifying and testing new drug variations and prosecuting to the fullest extent possible – including criminal charges — anyone that uses any illegal drug. The horse racing industry must come together and without question adopt the current model rules, and regardless of breed or role in the industry develop the processes and procedures to address future situations with the strictest penalties we can develop.
The full statement is available at aqharacing.com and includes feedback from industry leaders including racetrack management, equine medical professionals, plus representatives of testing labs and the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium.
American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104