Avoid compounded medications.
Yes, sometimes they are unavoidable. And yes, it is easier to buy the big tub of powder whatever (robaxin, for example) than to crush pills in a coffee grinder. But the compounding pharmacies can and do mess up dosages and ingredients, and by the time you get your notice of violation the container has been used up and thrown away, and you will be on the hook and unable to prove if the pharmacy made a mistake.
Shake the Container
If you are using compounded robaxin, make sure whoever is medicating knows that they need to SHAKE THE CONTAINER every time. The robaxin settles at the bottom. I have seen more robaxin overages caused by an administration from a scoop at the bottom of an almost empty container…
Read all supplement labels
Make sure you understand what every ingredient is. This sounds obvious, but apparently it is not. Most pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals will have more than one name, and sometimes the fancy sounding name looks better on a label but if they used the common name you’d realize right away that the product is not “show safe”. And there might be more not-show-safe products than show safe ones. Buyer beware. And, by the way, USEF is more than happy to review labels for you if you are unsure, and you aren’t giving up the ghost when you ask them for clarity.
Do not share horse show stalls.
When a horse gets to a show, it should only get put in a stall with 100% fresh/new bedding, fresh hay and fresh water. Once it is at the show, it should only use that stall and no other horse should be allowed in that stall….not for even a minute. Make this a strict rule. It will still happen that a horse will get stuck in the wrong stall or a dirty stall, but if your staff and customers think it is a hard and fast rule, and see you lose your sh*t if it happens, then they will be diligent.
No dogs in horse stalls
Not even for a minute. A medicated dog can contaminate a horse stall. Dogs can also pick up environmental contaminants and carry them (on their coats, paws and dog toys) into a stall. Do not underestimate the dog contaminant potential!
One Person Medicates
Responsibility for medicating horses should be assigned to one person and one person only. Beware the potential for grooms and customers wanting to be “helpful” and inadvertently double dosing or somehow otherwise screwing up your system.
Take feed buckets out of stalls by 8pm.
Remove them. Dump them and wash them. Horses will leave medicated feed uneaten, morning feed gets dumped on top, and voila. if a horse tests positive for a medication that can be top dressing, USEF will always ask what time the horse was fed and when the buckets got taken out. Leaving the feed bucket overnight is just asking for an overage.
Treat medicated topicals the same way you treat orally administered medications
Do not give staff ready access to them or leave them in general circulation in grooming boxes. Almost any cream or ointment you get from a vet is going to have some kind of medication in it, and because many of these products will be compounded (sometimes even mixed up by the vets themselves) the ingredients won’t be listed. But a lot of that stuff has steroids in it and that’s the easiest way to get a dex overage…because if the horse gets a shot of dex and then some cream with dex gets applied to a wound or skin infection…voila, it’s over the limit. And because creams and ointments prescribed for one horse rarely get used up all the way, the leftover gets retained and used on some other horse. Scratches cream is the number one problem!!! If the stuff works like magic, it’s probably medicated, and don’t handle it casually.
Stalls are not human toilets.
For the love of all that is holy… Don’t let humans urinate in horse stalls. Not staff, not customers, no one, ever. Not just at shows…At home too!
Make sure you know when you need to file a med report
Both as to the substance and as to the timing. This is trickier than ever now that you are supposed to file online and within a specific time window of administration (and sometimes there’s a poor internet connection). For example, Most of the cetirizine violations I see could have been avoided if the filing of the med report hadnt somehow been screwed up. And I wouldn’t necessarily rely on your vet to know the rules…I’ve heard lots of vets give out terrible advice 
In Conclusion
I could go on and on. But these tips reflect the biggest problem areas. Even the most diligent trainers get foiled by a staff member or customer (or parent of a customer). Beware the well-meaning dad/ husband/boyfriend (sorry guys)…it’s great they want to be supportive and helpful, but….
