Good news!

I am proud of New Mexico for taking this step in out of competition testing. It will help the trainers and owners who train in NM win races that in the past were won by shippers from Texas IMHO.

BloodHorse.com

Four Quarter Horses Fail New Hair Testing in New Mexico

Of the first six Quarter Horses subjected to out-of-competition testing using horse hair analysis in New Mexico, four tested positive for Clenbuterol.

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How long does it take for drugs to show up in hair? Do they compensate for drug therapy prior to a return to training? What if a worker transfers something from their hands to a horses' body/hair?

I think mostly they are looking for Anabolic Steroids, I believe they show up right away and they show up longer than a blood sample does. Transfer from a person to the hair is less likely to occur making this a safer procedure.

Okay, thanks.

Paulick report did  three day intensive articles on how the UK does racing medication free. In the third article one thing that stood out to me and has been in the back of my head for a very long time is that our horses are not fit and therefore do tend to get body sore hence needing bute and banamine. 

Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

Across The Pond: How Does British Racing Regulate Drugs? - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

This is the first in a series of three articles comparing and contrasting medication use and regulation in Britain with those in the United States. We will examine the differences between the systems from the perspective of regulators, trainers, and veterinarians. When it comes to medication regulation, it's no secret things are done differently across [...]

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Agreed!  If  you look at how horses were conditioned and raced 50 years ago, compared to now, there's a big difference. 

This also reflects the general European medical mindset  -- drugs are the last resort not the first step taken.  In Europe, taking even an aspirin is a big deal - most people will just deal with a headache until it subsides. Kids with ear infections are not prescribed antibiotics immediately.  Typically, they return to the doctor the next day or more so the physician can see whether the ear infection is better or worse.  .  In many cases, kids' ear infections resolve just fine without antibiotic use - just takes a bit of time.

I have two friends who are practicing equine vets in Europe - and they are quite unhappy about the use of medications in the U.S. They say Americans are just too impatient - nature heals a lot if just given time. They also use more natural treatments. IMHO, we can learn a lot from across the pond in terms of both humans and animals medicine,