The tragedy that exists is that all too often we ask too much of the horse and a permanently disabling lameness is often the result. Our technology has provided us with drugs to ease his pain, and yet we are now finding that we are probably doing him more harm than good. The use of drugs such as phenylbutazone and corticosteroids is now under the scrutiny of the American public, for it has been discovered that their use may lead to an irreversible condition of degenerative joint disease (DJD).