UC Davis Veterinarians and the Regulation of Racing

Tucson, AZ — RTIP students had a week full of equine pharmacology and the regulatory oversight of medications with guest speakers Dr. Scott Stanley and Dr. Heather Knych from the University of California, Davis.

As director of the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, Dr. Stanley gave students an insider’s perspective on the innovative and precise methods in which the racing industry conducts its drug testing and the duties involved when testifying as an expert witness in medication cases.

Dr. Knych’s presentation in the Form and Function of the Equine Athlete class gave students an appreciation for how much research goes into establishing threshold medication levels for racing. Using actual research project methods and results completed at UC Davis, Dr. Knych explained how the equine athlete processes medications, as well as what effects commonly used medications have on the performance animal.