Kentucky horse trainers are accepting the steroid restriction with open minds and open arms. They believe that it is finally time for something like this to happen and that it is a positive change for the Kentucky Horse Racing scene. They also believe that it should be something the international horseracing and dressage community should follow.

This year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown may forever be infamous for becoming Horse Racing’s Barry Bonds – both have their athletic careers laced with steroids. But, that doesn’t mean that the Kentucky Derby can’t move on. Next year’s races will be much cleaner and healthier for the horses.

It was last September when the Kentucky (Horse) Racing commission outlawed the use of steroids as performance enhancers for horses. Today, Horse trainers are voicing out about the implemented restrictions.

“It’s not bothering me. We’re at a 45 percent win clip at Philadelphia Park this year. We’re at a 28 percent win clip at Delaware Park,” Said Trainer Chris Grove, “For the whole year, we’re maintaining a 20 [to] 22 percent win rate. So it isn’t bothering me.”

Another trainer Linda Albert added, “I quit using them a couple of years ago, because I knew this was happening. I was surprised it took this long. I suppose some of these guys are using them a lot. Like Dutrow said, they use them on a regular basis. It took for the Derby … Big Brown … for everyone to go, ‘Ooh,’ but all of us [in racing] were not surprised he was using them,” Albert said. “But the public, particularly people not familiar with horse racing, was surprised.”

The Steroid ban came into effect on January 1, 2008.

The American Olympic Dressage Team has lost its fourth place Olympic standing over a positive drug test. One of the American riders Courtney King and her mount Mythilus have been stripped of their win. This happened after Mythilus tested positive for a banned drug – Felbinac. Felbinac is commonly used as a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory drug among horses.

The International Equestrian Federation has said that the disqualification was automatic. King’s teammates have pleaded her case, but the verdict remains the same. King has also lost her personal 13th place win due to the positive drug result.

The International Equestrian Federation has released a statement saying, “The behavior of anyone at the top of the sport and particularly at the Olympic Games must be faultless since the eyes of the world focus on performances at such events,”

It should be noted that Felbinac is a veterinary medication and not a doping drug. It has been banned because the International Equestrian Federation has maintained that horses should only compete when in good health. King nor her teammates and managers have yet to explain how the drug got into her horse’s system.

The Federation has also stated that they believe that King “nor anyone on her behalf or related to the USEF had knowingly administered the medication to the horse.”

The Maryland Racing Commission is right on the hooves of Texas. Maryland is the latest states to issue a ban on the use of Steroids on racing horses.  Like Texas, Maryland is banning the use of anabolic steroids on all racing horse. Vets and racehorse owners found to violate the ban will be dealt with accordingly. Veterinarians are still allowed to administer the small amounts of steroids, but only if there is a valid veterinary reason.

Steroid use in horse racing was brought to light after Big Brown’s trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. admitted to having used steroids to improve the horse’s performance. Big Brown is most known for his Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby wins.

Michael Hopkins who serves as executive director for the Maryland Racing commission had this to say:

“These particular compounds have gone unchecked for a number of years,” supplied Hopkins. “The control of them is very good for the industry.”

January 2009 marks the official ban implementation. The remaining months of 2008 are given to horse racers and owners to allow their horses to work the steroids off their system. Steroids not only result in an unfair race, it is also potentially harmful to the health of the horses.