What drugs are acceptable for NRHA?

I recently went to a show to watch some friends. It was a good size NRHA approved show. I noticed the trainer filling a needle to give to a horse shortly before going out. I was told "some drugs are acceptable to NRHA but not to AQHA". I was wondering what they are giving them?

NRHA - National Reining Horse Association

Put your question to the experts.

If anyone knows please reply here. If you didn't know that they are using them and what you might also be curious.

As of now NRHA has no drug policy for NRHA shows/classes. If the show is has an AQHA class or an EFI class then their drug polices would be used.

like NRHAreiner said NRHA has no drug laws, while AQHA is very strict.

Reiners give their horses drugs to dose them down and a few dose them up, but not many. A lot of times reiners are so responsive that they can get so excited and react before you even ask them. They start predicting things.

I noticed its more common at the big futurities and I believe its to just chill the horse out a bit so they don't start getting ahead of you.

You have to be careful though because you sedate them too much and you won't be able to preform the manuvers correctly.

This is why I think NRHA doesn't have drug laws, first off I think its pretty common at the big shows like the NRHA Futurity and Derby, and not to mention if you drug them too much you mess yourself up anyways.

I myself don't want to show a drugged horse, so I don't drug my reiners. However, I can understand the want to on a horse you think you have lined up to win the NRHA futurity.

Most of what you see is Bute. There are a few who may use other things to calm the horse down especially some of the younger ones but you loose just as much as you gain a lot of times. So most do not do it. They just put more show miles on the horse.

Most well bred reiners are extremely chilled. I couldn't imagine one drugged... Probably wouldn't get much of a response, be like riding a sack of potatoes.

However I have heard that some of the reiners can be a little hot (they get excited and don't calm down fast) so maybe this is where the bute comes into play?

I am a big believer that training should be able to stay away from drugs and etc... May just have to ride them 7 days a week and lots of wet saddles pads before a show....... Only reason I could think of using bute is for a beginner rider.... getting the horse down to the level of the rider...

Bute is like asprin. It has nothing to do with calming a horse or making esier to ride. It is for pain. You get a headach you take something. That is what bute does for horses.

I've known a few reiners who show on drugs. Diazepam is what a lot of people use around here. It's a mild sedative, it doesn't do much more than just make the horse feel relaxed.

Have you heard of many using ACE?