Steroids use is fairly widespread among trainers, especially by those horsemen whose approach to medication is that they will use anything under the sun that might help them win a race.

The appropriate use of steroids, as farm as vets are concerned, is for a) hormone replacement therapy for geldings and b) as an appetite inducer for horses that are not eating well.

Invariably, steroids are used for two things, which are a) to add muscle mass and b) to allow horses to recover from races and hard training.

The last-mentioned use is far and away the most significant plus factor for the use of steroids.

I would say that at the major tracks, a majority of horsemen use as a minimum small doses on a regular basis.