The Connecticut Department of Agriculture announced recently that it has prohibited Charles Chickering of Westmoreland, NH, from entering animals in draft pulling contests at fairs in Connecticut after his horse tested positive for the presence of a drug. The Department conducted random drug testing on animals participating in the draft horse pulling contests at the North Stonington Agricultural Fair held on July 11, 2010.
Laboratory analysis of blood samples from the horse obtained by Department staff has confirmed the presence of Testosterone, an anabolic steroid drug.
Connecticut law requires that the owners of animals testing positive for the presence of drugs entered in pulling contests be prohibited from entering any future contests held in the state for a period of one year. As a result, Charles Chickering is prohibited from entering any animals in draft pulling contests within the state for a period of one year. The law also requires that the animals in which a drug is detected be prohibited from being entered into pulling contests for a period of one year.
Last week the Department announced that it had received laboratory confirmation of the presence the anabolic steroid drug Boldenone in two other horses entered in the pulling contest at the North Stonington Agricultural Fair. The owners of these horses, who are Connecticut residents, have been banned, along with the horses that tested positive, for a year from entering pulling contests in the state.
In cooperation with the Association of Connecticut Fairs, the Department of Agriculture has an ongoing program, with specific legislative funding, to test for the presence of drugs in animals entered in pulling competitions. The testing is conducted on a random, unannounced basis. The purpose of the program is to assure that animals entered into the contests are not mistreated with the use of performance-enhancing and other types of drugs; that participants in the event do not have a competitive advantage due to the effects of an administered drug; and that spectators can be assured that they are watching an honest contest.
