The drugs are only approved for use in older horses in the US; the Thoroughbred industry has been struggling with the off-label use of them in younger horses being prepared for sales. In the United Kingdom, a rule passed in 2017 states "any horse to which therapeutic bisphosphonates are administered under the age of three years and six months will not be qualified to run under the BHA Rules of Racing at any point in its life".
On Saturday, the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association (CBA) in California issued a statement calling the use of bisphosphonates in young Thoroughbreds "unacceptable". The issue of bisphosphonates was previously covered in the Hoof Blog in 2018, following warnings raised by speakers at the ARCI's Conference on Equine Welfare and Racing Integrity.
LEXINGTON, KY (March 25, 2019) – Officials from Keeneland Association, Fasig-Tipton Company Inc. and Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company Inc. (OBS) jointly announced today that they will enable buyers of horses younger than four years old to have those horses tested for bisphosphonates.
ARCI Racing welfare forum: Bisphosphonate medication regulation in American flat and harness racing; risk and protective factors in flat racing
© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is the news service for Hoofcare and Lameness Publishing. Please, no re-use of text or images on other sites or social media without permission--please link instead. (Please ask if you need help.)
The Hoof Blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a headlines-link email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). Use the little envelope symbol below to email this article to others. The "translator" tool in the right sidebar will convert this article (roughly) to the language of your choice.
To share this article on Facebook and other social media, click on the small symbols below the labels. Be sure to "like" the Hoofcare and Lameness Facebook page and click on "get notifications" under the page's "like" button to keep up with the hoof news on Facebook.
Questions or problems with the Hoof Blog? Click here to send an email hoofblog@gmail.com.
The policy is undertaken to ban off-label use of these drugs. The revised Conditions of Sale for each of these sales companies takes effect July 1, 2019.
At each of the three sales companies, buyers of young horses may request testing for bisphosphonates to be performed at the time of purchase. If the sale horse tests positive, a buyer has the right, within 24 hours of notification, to rescind the sale.
This proactive measure by Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton and OBS – the three major U.S. Thoroughbred auction companies – mirrors the leadership action they took in 2009 to ban the use of anabolic steroids in sales horses.
Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason, Fasig-Tipton President Boyd T. Browning Jr. and OBS President Tom Ventura said in a joint statement: “This is an integrity issue. We all agree that this policy is critical to strengthen buyer confidence in the entire Thoroughbred auction process. As research continues, we will amend our Conditions of Sale to reflect the advancements in testing science.”
In summary, the policy will be implemented as follows:
Information for this article was provided by press release. Top photo courtesy of Visit Florida.
At each of the three sales companies, buyers of young horses may request testing for bisphosphonates to be performed at the time of purchase. If the sale horse tests positive, a buyer has the right, within 24 hours of notification, to rescind the sale.
This proactive measure by Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton and OBS – the three major U.S. Thoroughbred auction companies – mirrors the leadership action they took in 2009 to ban the use of anabolic steroids in sales horses.
Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason, Fasig-Tipton President Boyd T. Browning Jr. and OBS President Tom Ventura said in a joint statement: “This is an integrity issue. We all agree that this policy is critical to strengthen buyer confidence in the entire Thoroughbred auction process. As research continues, we will amend our Conditions of Sale to reflect the advancements in testing science.”
In summary, the policy will be implemented as follows:
- The buyer has the right to request, at the time of purchase, that blood be drawn from a horse to test for the presence of bisphosphonates;
- The respective sales company will coordinate testing with a designated laboratory and report the results of those tests to the consignor and buyer in a timely manner;
- If the sale horse tests positive for bisphosphonates, the buyer has the right, within 24 hours of notification, to rescind the sale and return the horse to the consignor; and
- The buyer will bear the $500 cost of the test; however, if test results are positive, the cost will shift to the consignor.
Information for this article was provided by press release. Top photo courtesy of Visit Florida.
• • • • •
Suggested further reading; these articles are free to read:
McLellan, J. (2017), Science‐in‐brief: Bisphosphonate use in the racehorse: Safe or unsafe?. Equine Vet J, 49: 404-407. doi:10.1111/evj.12682
ARCI Racing welfare forum: Bisphosphonate medication regulation in American flat and harness racing; risk and protective factors in flat racing
Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofBlog
Read this blog's headlines on the Hoofcare + Lameness Facebook Page
Disclosure of Material Connection: The Hoof Blog (Hoofcare Publishing) has not received any direct compensation for writing this post. Hoofcare Publishing has no material connection to the brands, products, or services mentioned, other than products and services of Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
