Venom Supplies of Tanunda has developed a unique testing kit designed to detect the use of venom in the international thoroughbred and harness racing industries.

Peter Mirtschin, Managing Director of Tanudna’s Venom Supplies and University of SA research fellow, said it’s been known for some time that snake venom is being used illegally within the horseracing industry overseas.

It can enable horses to run through pain and injury.

Graham Loch, chairman of stewards for thoroughbred racing in SA, said he was aware of the use of snake venom to improve a horse’s performance but didn’t believe it had been used in Australia.

Previously the illegal practice was near impossible to detect.

“We’ve developed a testing kit using cobra venom which can test a horse and detect the presence of snake venom in the system,” Mr Mirtschin said.

Until recently authorities in the United States had no effective test to detect snake venom in a horses system.

“We’ve developed a tool which could help to stamp this practice out,” he said.

The illegal practice involves injecting small amounts of snake venom into the affected area effectively dulling the pain of injury and enabling the horse to race while injured.

“The trainers doing this have cottoned on to the analgesic properties of snake venom and taken advantage of the absence of an effective screening method, until now.”

The far-reaching benefits of snake venoms are beginning to be more widely understood today thanks to the work of pioneers like Mr Mirtschin.

He said we’ve come a long way in our understanding of snake venoms through dedicated research but we really have only just scratched the surface.

“This test-kit for the racing industry is just one area where cobra venoms can be applied,” Mr Mirtschin said.