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Fourteen horses die at polo club in WellingtonU.S. Open match canceledBy Sharon Robb | SunSentinel.com8:53 PM EDT, April 19, 2009In front of a stunned, hushed crowd at International Polo Club Palm Beach Sunday in Wellington, local veterinarians tried feverishly to save expensive polo ponies from death before the featured game of the U.S. Open polo tournament.Fourteen horses, worth as much as $1 million on the Venezuelan-based Lechuza Caracas team died before their scheduled game against Black Watch.Two other horses are being treated at the Palm Beach Equine Clinic. Another horse is being treated at the Lechuza complex close to the stadium.When the horses started getting sick fieldside and collapsing about 45 minutes before game time, stadium officials announced that the polo match was cancelled and an exhibition game would be played instead.Early reports had four horses dying in the horse trailor used to transport the horses to the polo game. Another four died upon arriving at the stadiumAccording to several sources, the horses had a reaction to a steroid derivative that may have been tainted with a cleaning solution. The shots apparently were administered by an Argentine vet, not licensed in the U.S.Eye witnesses said that it seemed every vet in Wellington rushed to the grounds trying to save the other ailing polo ponies who were breathing heavy and had trouble standing on the grassy field.When the horses started collapsing, veterinarians ran cold water on their chiseled, well-bred bodies to try and revive them. Fans that shoot a fine water mist were also used to get their body temperature down. Intravenous tubes were inserted to help them breathe.Large blue curtain screens were put around the horses to shield the horrific scene from the crowd.The 105 U.S. Open is the oldest and most prestigious polo tournament in the United States. It also culminates the end of the high goal season at International Polo Club Palm Beach.Team padrons or player-sponsors are known to bring out their best and most expensive string of polo ponies, anywhere from six to eight ponies for each of the team's four players that could cost up to $1 million dollars.A full-scale investigation by the U.S. Polo Association, the sport's governing body, is expected to get under way today.Necropsies will be conducted by state veterinarian Dr. Mike Scott on every horse to determine the cause of death. The horses were transported to the state-run clinic Kissimmee Diagnostic. Preliminary findings are expected late Monday night or Tuesday.
Reports: Horse death toll up to 21 at polo club in WellingtonPonies become dizzy, collapse before Wellington match, U.S. Open match canceledBy Sharon Robb | SunSentinel.com7:55 AM EDT, April 20, 2009WELLINGTON - The death toll is now 21 horses struck by a mysterious ailment just before competition at the U.S. Open polo tournament in Wellington, according to media reports today.At least 14 polo horses, worth as much as $1.5 million, collapsed and died Sunday. Another seven died later, according to CBS 12.Unconfirmed reports put the number of dead horses at more than 30.Veterinarians tried feverishly to save the expensive polo ponies while a stunned, hushed crowd at the International Polo Club Palm Beach looked on. Vets hooked up intravenous tubes to the horses and fought to help them breathe. Fans sprayed water mist to cool their bodies.Large blue tarps screened the horses from the crowd."They started getting dizzy," polo club spokesman Tim O'Connor said. "They dropped down right onto the grass."The horses were part of the Venezuelan-based Lechuza Caracas team and had been kept at the team's complex near the polo stadium in Wellington. Each polo team typically brings about 24 horses to a match.Seven horses died at the Polo Club and the rest died after leaving the property, O'Connor said.At least three other horses were being treated Sunday, two at the Palm Beach Equine Clinic and one at the team's complex.Dr. Scott Swerdlin, a member of the Palm Beach Equine Clinic — International Polo's consulting veterinarian group — was at the scene. "Some died right away," he said. "Others lasted about 45 minutes."Each of the ponies, all between 10 and 11 years old, was valued at about $100,000, O'Connor said.Necropsies will be conducted by State Veterinarian Dr. Mike Scott to determine the cause of death. The horses were transported to the state-run clinic Kissimmee Diagnostic. Preliminary findings are expected late today or Tuesday.A full-scale investigation by the U.S. Polo Association, the sport's governing body, is expected to open today.Lechuza Caracas was scheduled to play a match at 3 p.m. Sunday.The horses began breathing heavily and stumbling at the Lechuza Caracas facility before they were brought to the polo club, Swerdlin was told. Then, about 2:15 p.m., as members were preparing their horses for the match, two collapsed and several others began exhibiting dizziness and disorientation. Four of the animals died in a horse trailer used to transport them.When the horses began getting sick and collapsing, stadium officials canceled the match between Lechuza Caracas and Black Watch. An exhibition match was played instead."It could be the water, hay, bedding. We just don't know. When we find out what it is, we will take all the necessary actions," said John A. Walsh, polo club president.Polo club manager Jimmy Newman also was left looking for answers."They had a reaction to something. We don't know what," he said.The U.S. Open, in its 105th year, is the oldest and most prestigious polo tournament in the United States. It culminates the end of the high-goal season at International Polo Club Palm Beach.Team padrons, or player-sponsors, are known to bring out their best and most expensive strings of polo ponies, anywhere from six to eight ponies for each of a team's four players.One or two horses have met a similar fate in Ocala within the past two years, said Dean Turney, executive director of the Wellington Equestrian Alliance. In that case, Turney said, the horses' sickness was linked to contaminated feed.
Why would they need a steroid derivative?
Race horses get steroids, so I'm assuming it's a PED thing.Someone at Taco Bell just got very excited
