ESC Letter to Veterinarians

COLUMBIANA, ALA – Equine Sports Council (ESC) random drug testing will be present at the Kentucky State Fair World’s Championship and the Mid-America Mane Event Horse Show & National Good Hands Final.

To ensure fair competition and protect equine health, ESC now utilizes advanced AI technology to streamline regulatory checks and compliance screening. This official notice has been distributed to all ESC-registered, licensed veterinarians.

To:  ESC Registered Veterinarians

FROM: Equine Sports Council

RE:  Controlled Medication Database Improvements

Equine Sports Council’s Controlled Medication Database integrates cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence to improve how trainers, owners and their vets manage the health and welfare of our equine partners in a competition environment. Driven by a commitment to a clear, efficacy-based drug testing program, ESC’s Controlled Medication Database delivers real-time, science-backed research. 

The cornerstone of this new digital resource is its advanced search technology. Rather than relying on guesswork or generalized information, ESC’s database provides detailed information about each medication available at your fingertips.  When you navigate to the ESC Medication Database, you will land on the Search All Medications tab. Simply type the first few letters of the medication’s name and your results will be generated in the table below.  

Basic information like dosage and recommended withdrawal time will be visible, but hit the Plus (+) Sign next to the medication’s name and a wealth of additional information is displayed. 

• The Published Half-Life, which will help you should there be a need to reduce the recommended withdrawal time using the factor t1/2 x 5.
• Washout Hours is the time between giving one medication and switching to another one in the same medication class to avoid any conflicts.
• The C-Max and T-Max levels indicate when the medication reaches its maximum plasma concentration. 
• Performance-enhancing values, potential conflicts and contraindications, and synergies. 

Contraindications/Conflicts brings to your attention medications that, when used in combination:

• May not be recommended.
• May be performance enhancing.
• May cause dangerous side effects.
• May require an extended withdrawal time.

The details of these data points are available for each medication in the Drug Interactions section of the table to assist you in determining the best course of treatment for your equine patients.

ESC’s Control Classification labels a medication Therapeutic, Strictly Controlled or Banned. The Maximum Concentration Allowed is published in an effort to be completely transparent with regard to when a test result might be considered adverse.  Adverse test results are evaluated by our Controlled Medication Advisory Council to determine the potential for enhanced performance, and sanctioning is calculated based on the medication’s classification, amount over and any previous violations.  

We encourage you to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the database, as you may need to reference it when you fill out a Medication Report.  We have eliminated the need for a med report for as many therapeutic medications as possible, and we allow the trainer/agent to complete the forms in many cases.  However, there are times that the Medication Report must be submitted by the vet and a diagnosis provided.  The online reporting software will indicate when that is necessary.

Med Reports are NOT REQUIRED:

• For any SINGLE Class A Therapeutic Medication with <24 hour withdrawal.
• When medication(s) are administered well beyond the recommended withdrawal time.

Med Reports ARE REQUIRED whenever:

• Multiple medications are administered.
• The vet is calculating a withdrawal time based on the half-life factor.
• The vet is administering Class B or C Strictly Controlled medications.
• Anytime medications are administered outside of ESC guidelines.

Attached is a Quick Reference Guide that is available as a download on our website and a hard copy will be distributed to each trainer via email and upon check in at the Kentucky State Fair WCHS. This guide was created in an effort to assist and support the trainers and their vets at any ESC sanctioned event where drug testing is being performed.

If you are ever unable to locate a medication in the database, or you find a potential error, please contact us.  AI might have helped us build the database, but we are human!

ESC Staff and Subject Matter Experts are available to answer any questions or concerns you might have leading up to the WCHS, and will be available 24/7 during the event.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at 855-EQUINE1 – Option 1 for immediate assistance.

Best of luck to all of you and your clients for a successful World’s Championship Horse Show!