Finnish horse trainers raise concerns over medicated stall contamination and stringent racing rules
Events at the Kaustinen harness racing track in Finland in early July might seem insignificant to outsiders, but they have raised concerns among Finnish horse trainers. During the racing event, the horse Condor Bar, trained by Henna Halme, was stabled in a stall that had previously housed another medicated horse. Halme, therefore, withdrew her horse from the race, sparking a heated debate about the incident and who should be held responsible.
The debate stems from the strict racing rules and harsh penalties that regulate the medication of racing horses. According to the Finnish Trotting and Breeding Association (Suomen Hippos) guidelines, a trainer is responsible for their horse, even if the horse accidentally ingests medication, for example, from an inadequately cleaned guest stall.
One such case occurred in spring 2021 with Markku Nieminen, one of Finland’s most successful horse trainers, at the Kuopio races. A negligible amount of mefenamic acid, an anti-inflammatory drug not used by Nieminen for years, was found in his top racehorse, Willow Pride. Nieminen believes the drug entered the horse’s system from a messy guest stall. He challenged the association in court after being suspended from competition for a month and fined 3,000 euros. Although the district court upheld the punishment, Nieminen has appealed to the court of appeal.
Nieminen reminds that penalties for accidental drug violations can be so severe that they could jeopardise the livelihoods of trainers and their employees, with the worst-case scenario being a year-long competition ban.
Approximately 1,200 horses are tested annually in Finland for drug residues. Positive drug tests are rare and typically minor cases, with the horse’s trainer always bearing responsibility, even in cases of accidental contamination.
Veterinarian Reija Junkkari, who oversees horse drug control at Suomen Hippos, emphasizes the importance of clean stalls before races. However, Turku race track CEO Eeva Karvonen admits it is not always possible to guarantee the cleanliness of all areas, even though efforts are made to do so. She stresses that contamination issues are not widespread in Finland, with only a few suspected cases.