This show is a member of the central northern group of show societies and this group undertakes a horse drug-testing program that has been implemented since the commencement of group shows in 1991.

It is your responsibility to know the rules and regulations regarding this drug-testing program and this show or this group will not in any way accept responsibility for your lack of knowledge and/or understanding of this subject.

It is a condition of entry at this show that all horses competing at this show, compete on the understanding that drug testing may be carried out at this show and if drugs are detected then penalties will apply.

It is recommended that all horses are vaccinated for Hendra Virus.

Each exhibitor, in consideration of the Society accepting one or more of the Exhibitor's entries:

a) acknowledges and agrees that the Exhibitor participates in any competition or event conducted during the Show wholly and solely at the Exhibitor’s own risk of injury to his person of property;

b) releases the Society and its servants and agents at the time of participation, from and against any and all liability for personal injury or damage to the exhibitor's property which the exhibitor may receive, sustain or incur directly or indirectly as a result of the negligence or alleged negligence of the Society and its servants or agents aforesaid resulting from or arising out of any accident or happening whilst the exhibitor is on the Society's Showground or elsewhere under the direct or indirect control of the Society, its servants or agents whether or not such accident or happening occurred whilst the exhibitor was participating in or competing in any event or competition and the exhibitor for himself, his executors, administrators and any person claiming through or under him indemnifies and holds the Society, its servants and agents aforesaid indemnified from and against all claims, demands, suits, actions, damages, costs and expenses which the exhibitor or any person engaged by the exhibitor might be entitled to make or bring against or which may become payable by the Society by reason of or arising from or out of directly or indirectly, any such accident or happening or by reason of any act or omission on the part of the exhibitor or of any person engaged by him whilst he is competing or attending to any exhibit entered by the exhibitor and the exhibitor further agrees that any act or omission on his part or on the part of any such person engaged by him found in any action against the Society to be negligent shall be deemed to be negligence for the purpose of any claim under the aforesaid indemnity.

THE PENALTIES TO APPLY SHALL BE 12 months’ disqualification from exhibiting within this Group for the animal and the person in charge of the animal. It will be recommended to the ASC that these penalties shall apply on a state-wide level and that disqualification should be statewide.

If the animal is not presented for examination within the time specified by the Group, then the same penalties shall apply as if a Prohibited Drug was detected.

Treatment forms will not be accepted.
Any person who at any time administers or causes to be administered for the purpose of affecting the performance of an animal in any event or class at the Show, any drug as defined previously or has in his/her possession any improper contrivance may be disqualified or otherwise penalised by the Group.

Particular attention will be paid to the detection of sedative and tranquiliser groups of drugs but analysis for all classes of prohibited substances will be included. The collection of samples inter alia will always involve taking urine and/or blood.

An examination may include an examination for desensitised limbs. Any animal found to have a limb or part of a limb desensitised by any means will be considered to have competed under the influence of a prohibited substance and penalised accordingly.

The owner or his/her representative may be present during testing, but shall not interfere in any way with the conduct of the test, and will observe the instructions of the Veterinary Officer on duty.

The Society or Group and any servant or appointee of the Society or Group shall not be liable to the exhibitor, owner or other interested parties, for the death of, or for any injury, damage or infection which may be sustained by an exhibit occasioned by or arising out of any act or omission of any servant, agent or appointee of the Society or Group done or committed in the course of his/her examination whether due to the negligence of any such servant, agent or appointee or otherwise.

Exhibitors must abide by the directions of the Society or Group as to the procedures to be followed for the examination of their exhibit and failure to adhere to this direction shall incur the same penalties as if the prohibited drugs were detected.

Where samples have been taken from an exhibit by a Veterinary Officer and submitted for laboratory testing, the following rules will apply:

(a) If the A sample has returned a positive result indicating the presence in the exhibit of a banned substance, then the competitor will be immediately suspended from competition.

(b) The competitor will be entitled at the expense of the competitor to have a B sample tested at the laboratory provided that the competitor gives notice in writing within 10 days of being notified of the result of the testing of the A sample and provides with his notice payment for the cost of the testing of the B sample.

(c) If the B sample produces a positive result then the disqualification provisions of these rules shall apply.

(d) If no B sample is tested in accordance with these rules, then the disqualification provision of these rules will apply.

It is the intention of these regulations that all animals shall perform on their merits without the aid of drugs which will affect the conduct, performance or appearance of the animal.

An exhibitor shall NOT administer, and shall ensure that there shall NOT be administered, to his/her exhibit any drug or substance herein called a “prohibited drug”.

Prohibited drugs are substances originating externally whether or not they are endogenous to the animal and means any substance capable of affecting the performance or behavior of an animal by its action upon the central or peripheral nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, the alimentary digestive system, the muscular-skeletal system or the urogenital system and shall include analgesics, anti-histamines, anti-inflammatory agents, blood coagulants, diuretics, hormones, and their synthetic counterparts, cortico-steroids, anabolic steroids, local anesthetics, muscle relaxants, tranquilizers, and vitamins.

The use of antibiotic substances (anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-parasitic) with the exception of Procaine Penicillin may be permitted.

In the Case of Showjumping and Dressage entries ONLY, which are conducted under FEI Rules, the use of Phenylbutazone and Oxyphenylbutazone is permitted provided the maximum level of either or both does not exceed 2 micrograms per millilitre of plasma, in aggregate, at the time at which the exhibit is to be judged.

The Society (or Group) may at its discretion cause an examination to be made of an exhibit by a Veterinary Officer who in the course of such examination may make by such methods as he may determine such tests of and take such samples from such exhibit, as he deems necessary or advisable. The result of the examination shall be reported to the Group and the Society.

An exhibit to which, in the opinion of a Veterinary Officer, a prohibited Drug has been administered shall not be exhibited without the consent of the Group and shall be removed from the showground forthwith upon notice from the Group or Society.

The Group may at its sole discretion impose the penalties applicable in the light of all information made available and may disallow or cancel the entry and any award made to the exhibit, without in such case being called upon to give reason therefore.

The owner or any other person who was in charge of the animal to which a prohibited drug has been administered will be disqualified and penalties shall apply.