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Lexi Orcutt
Prof. Domini
English 250
Mediation Essay
NSAIDs in the Racehorse Industry
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, are anti-inflammatory
pain medications commonly used in the horse racing industry. When NSAIDs first
came to the racing industry in the 1960’s, they seemed to be miracle drugs, reducing
lameness and swelling along with providing comfort to the horses (Sykes). But the
allowance of these drugs in the racing industry has become very controversial due
to potential side effects they may cause the horses. Some of these side effects
include further stress and injury to the horse, due to lack feeling, and an increase in
the likeliness of gastro-intestinal ulcers. Because of these side affects, the majority of
states have a threshold of five micrograms per milliliter of serum or plasma. NSAIDs
contain beneficial factors in the health and comfort of racehorses, but the common
overuse of these drugs can potentially harm these animals. With harsher
punishment to the trainers and veterinarians administering these medications,
hopefully the overuse of these drugs will decline, while still allowing their medical
benefits in the racehorse industry.
In support of NSAIDs it must be said that NSAIDs are the most common painrelievers in the world. People use these anti-inflammatory drugs, like aspirin and
ibuprofen, on a regular basis to relieve discomfort and reduce fever and swelling.
NSAIDs work by chemically blocking the effects of special enzymes - specifically cox-
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1 and cox-2. These enzymes play a key role in producing prostaglandins.
Prostaglandins moderate contractions as well as inflammation. When the NSAIDs
block the enzymes, the production of prostaglandins goes down, which in turn
reduces pain and swelling. Prostaglandin also has other uses in the body, one of
which includes protecting the lining of the stomach and the GI tract. When NSAIDs
are over used and the prostaglandin levels are constantly low, the GI tract becomes
irritated and damaged by normal gastric acid - causing gastro-intestinal problems
(NSAIDs for Pain Relief).
The most common NSAID used in the horse racing industry is
phenylbutazone, or more commonly known as “bute”. Bute was first brought into
the racing industry in 1960, 11 years after it became available to humans who
commonly used it for gout and arthritis. But since Bute is such a stronger NSAID, it
created a greater amount of complications and side effects in humans than aspirin
or ibuprofen had. When Bute became legal in the racing industry, it was thought that
it would increase the amount of starts a horse would have per year and decrease the
amount of horse breakdowns. But when studies were conducted, the opposite
seemed to be true. An informal study done at Keystone Park in Pennsylvania
showed that before the legalization of bute, there was an average of one breakdown
per fifteen days, and after bute was legalized there was average breakdown of one
every four days. Also if you look back on the average number of starts for a horse
per year in 1960 it was 11.31, it then dropped dramatically to 6.2 by 2008 (Sykes).
With these statistics in mind, many people have advocated to making bute
and other high-dosage NSAIDs illegal in horse racing. Dr. Scott Stanley a professor at
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UC Davis in an interview in 2008 stated that “for the past 20 years phenylbutazone
(bute) has been the most common violation reported in the United States”
(bloodhorse). Only about 1% of violations in the horse racing industry are due to
illegal drugs (Q-Racing). The majority of infractions are due to the overuse of
medication, like NSAIDs. Because of this overuse, many animal-rights activists claim
that the only way to stop this misuse is to ban the drugs completely. The activist’s
argument is that if a horse needs pain medication to compete in a race, the horse
should not be racing at all. The horse should be taking time off to heal until it can
race on its own. Horses that are overly medicated with NSAIDs are unable to feel the
pain of their injury. Running at speeds up to 40 mph on an injured leg can cause
further damage to the horse, such as stress fractures, that would end the horse’s
career. Even if the horse is able to scathe through their short, 5-year long, career
without a fatal injury, the over use of NSAIDs will leave their gastro-intestinal walls
weaker and less immune to their body’s natural acid. The overuse of NSAIDs can
have fatal repercussions and many people believe that the only way to stop this
misuse is the ban these drugs all together.
On the other side of the argument are the trainers, owners, and veterinarians
that state NSAIDs are the same as common aspirin, and ibuprofen; and that the use
of these drugs are strictly for the well-being and comfort of the horse. NSAIDs do
provide great medical help to sore horses. They reduce swelling along with relieving
any soreness caused from the horse’s workout. Racehorses are professional athletes
with rigorous workout schedules to keep them in pristine racing shape; daily, hourlong workouts are bound to result in some soreness in the horse. Using NSAIDs in
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the racing industry is comparable to athletes taking aspirin before or after a game;
it’s merely a form of pain relief from the physical stress of being a professional
athlete. Trainers are using the technology and medication they have available to
insure the greatest amount of comfort to the horses. The legal limit of five
micrograms per milliliter of serum or plasma is low enough to ensure a very low
percentage of side effects. And with this threshold upheld, trainers are able to
provide comfort and decrease swelling for their horses without harming them.
Advocates for the use of NSAIDs are correct in the fact that the threshold
does provide comfort and safety of side affects to the horses however; that is not the
issue with the drugs. The problem with NSAIDs in the racing industry is overuse. If
the threshold could be upheld, horses would have a safe form of pain-killers. While I
do believe that banning NSAIDs completely is an over-reaction, I propose national
harsher punishment for trainers who repeatedly over use NSAIDS. In January of
2012, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) applied stricter rules and
harsher punishment for those administering illegal drugs, but refused to do the
same for NSAIDs. “Strict penalties on the owner of any horse testing three times
positive for levels of bute in excess of the allowable threshold within a time frame of
365 days” (tuesdayhorse) were proposed but shot down due to claimed disbelief of
a horse testing positive three times within a year. Many suspect an ulterior motive;
Kentucky, like many other states, does not want to be the first to enforce such
penalties in the fear of losing business to other states (Allen). So along with stricter
penalties, I propose a nation-wide regulation and set of penalties that all states
would have to adhere to. Without all, or at least most, of the states agreeing to the
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same set of rules, regulatory rules in the racing industry will remain slack in the
purpose of creating more revenue. For the safety of racehorses, along with
providing them comfort, there should be a nation-wide legislation on stricter
punishment for the overuse of NSAIDs.
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Work Cited
Allen, Jane. "KHRC’s New Drug Regulations for Thoroughbreds Fail to Rein in the
Bute." TUESDAYS HORSE. Int'l Fund for Horses, 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 09 Apr.
2013.
"Arthritis Health Center." NSAIDs for Pain Relief. WebMD, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.
"Fact Sheets." Horse Racing Fact Sheet. Int'l Fund for Horses, 2012. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.
"Racing Medication Use." Q-Racing:. American Quarter Horse Association, 1 July 2012.
Web. 09 Apr. 2013.
Stanley, Scott, Dr. "Scott Stanley, Ph. D. UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine."
Horse Racing and Breeding Information from The Blood-Horse. Bloodhorse.com,
22 Aug. 2012. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.
Sykes, Melissa. "The Story Behind Bute: History and Implications for Horse Health." All
About Horses, Horse News, Horse Training, Horse Videos, and Blogs. Barnmice,
n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.