Myth or Truth. Polo mints contain banned substance?

ArcticFox

ArcticFox

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I was told recently that polo mints shouldn't be fed to competition horses as they contain a banned substance. is this true? what do you give instead if it is? i have a worrier who works well on being given the odd treat - and he never bites etc so its all ok ;)

anyway, after google searching, I have found a photo on an article about banned substances that had polo mints on it, but nothing written.

can anyone dispel the myth? or confirm the fact??

many thanks :D
 
What are you looking at? Is it the picture here here?

Looks to me like the mints with a hole are just to stick the pills into the middle of.


I actually don't know, I don't compete under rules and dont feed mints, so this is something I'm not up on.
 
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I hope not! The only time we feed polo's is out competing!

Looking at that picture though, I think the polos were being used to hide the taste of what looked like acp - so shove tablet in hole in polo etc ?
 
I've wondered the same and was actually thinking of posting on this too. :) But from what I can tell I think this refers to peppermint oil which contains menthol which I've seen rumors was a banned substance.

I've done a search of the FEI Cleansport database and looked at the pdf of the banned and controlled lists and menthol doesn't come up anywhere. I also tried the formal chemical name and didn't find that either.

So, without knowing exactly I would guess it might previously have been a banned substance? And I think it still is for the Jockey Club.
 
Ru got drug tested at a BE event and never had anything show up and considering he is a polo mint addict I would have thought that if polos had a banned substance then he would definitely have tested positive. I think it is just a myth.
 
i was told by an instructor who teaches BE that polos shouldn't be used. maybe they are mistaken?

we always used polos for competition time too.

It was something I was pondering then found the pic - I agree its probably about hiding things in the hole, but it also adds to the confusion!

Also one my current instructor feeds my boy mint imperials - are these bad too?? I'm hoping to compete at a 1* star next year or the year after, would be good to know in advance. I'd absolutely be devastated if my horse was randomly sampled and tested positive for something - must be how Jock and Kevin feel right now.

I'm already paranoid about meds being mixed up (seperate red bucket etc) but would be interested in knowing the answer about the mints.
 
The pictures you've found could well relate to an incident in Jersey a few years ago when it was thought a mother was seen slipping polo mints with ACP tablets to other competitors ponies...

Can't help re actually polos though.
 
The photo you found without looking I am 99.9% certain was one my mum took in relation to the Jersey story whereby a Mum allegedly fed competitor's ponies acp by putting the acp in the polo hole.

The polo was just a means to an end. As to whether any ingredient in polos is banned is another question but if there was I would have expected it to be far far far well known!
 
I know which one you mean I think, on a hand ;). No it isn't that it does have ACP in a polo mint but also a bottle of yellow ACP with a needle and syringe next to it ;) which I thought might not be hers ;)
 
Just thinking more about this; several BE events I have been to have given out polos for the horses when you pick up your number. Surely they wouldn't do this if polos were banned substance?!
 
khalswitz said:
I know menthol is prohibited, don;t know if they contain that?
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They would contain menthol because it is a component in mint oil which is in the polos. But menthol isn't banned, at least it isn't any longer. I've checked all of the FEI materials - it isn't listed anywhere....
 
OK, here are some facts:

Dope testing can and does happen at BE.
Dope testing can and does happen at BS.
Dope testing can and does happen at BD (regional level and above)
Dope testing can and does happen at RC (area and national comps)

It's not just FEI. People need to get into the culture of thinking about this much, much earlier.
 
HD15 said:
They would contain menthol because it is a component in mint oil which is in the polos. But menthol isn't banned, at least it isn't any longer. I've checked all of the FEI materials - it isn't listed anywhere....
Click to expand...

I know it's BHA prohibited, haven't checked the FEI.

Also there's the fact that you can throw false positives. Perhaps Polos throw a false positive due to chemical structure of one of the flavourings etc, and therefore can cause false positive results? Would explain why vets etc say not to feed them.
 
Gamebird said:
OK, here are some facts:

Dope testing can and does happen at BE.
Dope testing can and does happen at BS.
Dope testing can and does happen at BD (regional level and above)
Dope testing can and does happen at RC (area and national comps)

It's not just FEI. People need to get into the culture of thinking about this much, much earlier.
Click to expand...

Yes, well aware of this. But they all use the FEI prohibited substances lists don't they? Certainly when I've competed I've always been referred to their list. Hence the discussion re:FEI.

One member of a local RC team (not my own) got disqualified at Nationals following a drugs test. Rider wasn't aware of hygiene and anti-contamination procedures, and not entirely up to date with prohibited substances. Mortified to have travelled for NE Scotland to Lincoln to end like that... lets the team down too. I remember their RC telling us as a warning of what can happen!
 
If you fed your horse 6+ packets of polos or similar up to 2 hours before a dope test then you would test positive for excessive sugar in the blood. Same as if you feed a shed load of carrots just before.

So unless anyone wants their horse to have a super duper mega fresh breath just before they hit the competition arena you should be quite safe!
 
Gamebird said:
OK, here are some facts:

Dope testing can and does happen at BE.
Dope testing can and does happen at BS.
Dope testing can and does happen at BD (regional level and above)
Dope testing can and does happen at RC (area and national comps)

It's not just FEI. People need to get into the culture of thinking about this much, much earlier.
Click to expand...

But are polos dope or dope?
 
khalswitz said:
I know it's BHA prohibited, haven't checked the FEI.

Also there's the fact that you can throw false positives. Perhaps Polos throw a false positive due to chemical structure of one of the flavourings etc, and therefore can cause false positive results? Would explain why vets etc say not to feed them.
Click to expand...
Menthol is not listed as a prohibited substance in racing! However racing does operate slightly differently in that basically any substance that the chief vet feels could affect a horses performance is banned.This is whether it shows in a sample or not. I think a lot of this myth about polos in racing comes from the ability to give other things with them so you would be a total numbskull to give them to a horse at a race meeting.
 
popsdosh said:
Menthol is not listed as a prohibited substance in racing! However racing does operate slightly differently in that basically any substance that the chief vet feels could affect a horses performance is banned.This is whether it shows in a sample or not. I think a lot of this myth about polos in racing comes from the ability to give other things with them so you would be a total numbskull to give them to a horse at a race meeting.
Click to expand...

Menthol IS prohibited.

"No use before racing, no use on horses to be tested, and not bought into the sampling box as contains menthol, a prohibited substance"

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/resources/equine-science-and-welfare/raceday.asp

They don't operate a full list of prohibited drugs the way the FEI do, but there are still drugs that are prohibited full stop. Menthol is one. It acts as a local anaesthetic, therefore comes under these rules:

http://rules.britishhorseracing.com/Orders-and-rules&staticID=126284&single=1&fromsearch=1
 
khalswitz said:
Menthol IS prohibited.

"No use before racing, no use on horses to be tested, and not bought into the sampling box as contains menthol, a prohibited substance"

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/resources/equine-science-and-welfare/raceday.asp

They don't operate a full list of prohibited drugs the way the FEI do, but there are still drugs that are prohibited full stop. Menthol is one. It acts as a local anaesthetic, therefore comes under these rules:

http://rules.britishhorseracing.com/Orders-and-rules&staticID=126284&single=1&fromsearch=1
Click to expand...
No menthol in polo mints!
 
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