2005 Individual Fatality Reports

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Last updated 12/8/06 by tms

Welfare of the Horse Committee 2005 Fatality Reports

Old Pueblo 50, Southwest Region, 3/5/05

On March 5, 2005, an experienced Arabian endurance horse, with over 4000 miles to his credit, started the Old Pueblo 50 in the Southwest Region, completing about 20 miles of the ride without problem. The 16-year-old gelding had urinated, drank and appeared bright and willing until about 300 feet from the first vet check, where, while walking, he fell out from under his rider and tragically expired in less than three minutes.

No postmortem was performed, in part, to respect the inconsolable grief of the family shocked by this sudden death. The gelding was buried shortly thereafter.

The most likely cause of death was determined to be a ruptured aneurysm, one of the most common causes of sudden death in performance horses. This situation could neither be predicted nor avoided.

Lost Posse Ride, Southeast Region, 3/19/05

On March 19, 2005, following the Lost Posse Ride in the SE region, a 7-year-old Arabian gelding with no apparent endurance history died as the result of a spontaneous fracture of his first lumbar vertebral body which completely severed his spinal cord and a large blood vessel.

While traveling normally during the second loop of the 50-mile ride, the gelding suddenly began to drag both hind legs and appeared to buckle in the hind limbs. Within several steps the horse became recumbent, but calm and made no attempt to rise. He was gently dragged into a trailer and sent to the University of Florida Large Animal Clinic where he expired spontaneously from blood loss, a few hours later. Necropsy concluded that no bone pathology was present and no known reason for the fracture could be determined. This situation could neither be predicted nor avoided.

The Welfare of the Horse Committee extends our sympathy and thanks the veterinarians and owners for their cooperation in this report.

Old Dominion Ride, Northeast Region, 6/11/05

A 12-year-old Arabian gelding, entered in, but not finishing, the Old Dominion 50 in the NE region was humanely euthanized after not responding to four days of extensive clinical treatment. The gelding had competed in six 50-mile AERC rides over the course of a year previous to being entered in the Old Dominion. He finished only two of those six rides, having three lameness pulls and one 'rider option' pull, all with the same rider/owner who shared the same ride history.

Ride day was extremely hot and humid with temperature and humidity in the high 90s. The horse came into the first check which is situated after a crossing of the Shenandoah River, after 12 miles of trail. This check was an abbreviated type of hold -- a 20-minute hold and a 'trot by' upon exit. No metabolic check was performed and no Cardiac Recovery Index was taken. It was unclear if a pulse criteria was in effect.

The horse proceeded along the trail that starts up a long gradual climb. At about four miles out, the horse slowed to a walk and appeared to be sweating profusely. Even though the horse was reluctant to walk, the rider proceeded on foot, leading the horse, to the next check, a total of approximately 10 miles. When the horse met pulse recovery after 35 minutes of being cooled with water, he was observed to be stiff in the hind quarters, and was asked to return for a recheck. This horse then demonstrated the muscle swelling and hardness associated with rhabdomyolitis or tying up, and was subsequently treated by the veterinarian in charge.

After being stabilized, he resumed eating carrots and showed an interest in grazing, but he gradually lost interest in eating and the next morning was shipped to a local equine medical center familiar with endurance horses, where he spent three days being treated aggressively. Despite the best heroic medical care, and outside consultations, it was decided that after not having normal gut sounds for three days, and the onset laminitis, that further treatment would be futile.

Questions to be posed in this case:

1. Could an early check have detected this problem? Old Dominion has now instituted a full vet check at the river crossing.

2. Should the rider have stopped and sent for help, not walked over the mountain to the next check? Treatment on the trail, and the ceasing of exertion may have allowed for more successful intervention.

3. Are some horses unsuitable for an extreme sport such as endurance? The ride history of this horse might suggest that he was not a candidate for an very tough ride in extreme weather conditions.

Riders are reminded to understand and recognize signs of stress in their equine partners, and to always err on the side of caution. The Welfare of the Horse Committee would like to stress that immediate treatment is important in the reduction of fatalities in our sport.

Our condolences to the rider/owner and the veterinarians who cared for this horse. They have lost a good and loyal friend.

Ft. Stanton Ride, Southwest Region, 7/10/05

An Arabian gelding was euthanized at the Ft. Stanton Ride in the SW region on July 12, 2005, after suffering a compound fracture of the radius in a front leg. The horse was being hand-grazed and was kicked by another horse, causing the injury. The animal was not entered in the ride at the time of the injury and was just at the event as a companion. Our condolences to the owners on such a tragic accident and the loss of the a good friend.

Patriot's Day Ride, West Region, 9/10/05

He was a sweet horse, brave and careful in his movements. He ate and drank on the trail and performed well for his new owner, despite a previous reputation as a "difficult" horse to ride. It seemed that the new owner and the 10-year-old gelding were lucky to find each other. They completed seven rides in the four months they performed together, with five 50 milers and a 55, all within a 7.5 to 8.5 hour time frame. They completed one 75 mile ride in 14.5 hours.

This horse had been free-fed grass hay for the duration of his stay with this rider, and was given a wet beet pulp mash at checks and a recommended amount of commercial electrolytes during rides.

Unfortunately, the last ride they shared had a deadly outcome for the gelding, and the lessons to be learned from that day are many. The September morning dawned rainy and damp for the arid region, but the pair started the ride in normal fashion. The ride, considered "technical," with steep climbs, continued according to plan and similar to the other rides they had shared, until the last vet check at 42 miles. Here the gelding took slightly longer to pulse down than he had in the past. The rider, with 19 years and more than 1400 miles of endurance experience, chalked it up to being separated from his riding buddies.

After being examined by the veterinarian, the horse refused food and water and appeared uncomfortable and wanted to roll. He was again presented to the veterinarian for evaluation.The vet, apparently finding no problems, allowed the rider to make the decision to proceed the last eight miles to the finish.

Continuing along the trail on foot, the horse at times wanted to trot in hand and had to be restrained. At other times, while the owner was mounted or on foot, the horse appeared uncomfortable, but would then get "better" for a brief time. They traveled the last miles, crossing the finish line, but not passing the final vet check due to the horse's colicky behavior. He was given pain medication and a nasogastric tube was inserted, resulting in a "significant amount of fluid" as reflux. He was not given intravenous fluids and a few hours later was referred to a clinic, where he was euthanized shortly after midnight, nine hours after he first showed signs of colic.

As members of the Welfare of the Horse Committee, we bear the important responsibility of reconstructing the pertinent sequence of events regarding the death of an equine at an AERC event. We do this so we may each learn something from the misfortunes of others, and in the hope of bettering our ability to protect our and others' horses during and after competition. To that end, in regard to the equine death that occurred after the Patriot's Day Ride, we make the following observations:

We agree in the benchmark principle upheld by AERC that the ultimate welfare of the horse is the responsibility of the rider. In this case, when the rider knew that the horse was showing signs of colic, prudence dictates that, at that point, the horse was no longer a candidate for further participation, and should have been withdrawn from the ride.

Simply going on because the veterinarian allowed them to continue does not absolve the rider of responsibility for the horse's welfare. It was the rider's responsibility to convey urgency to the vet as to the horse's condition and see that the horse received appropriate veterinary attention.

The rider's concern for the horse may have been overshadowed by the desire to reach the finish line.

It has been reported that the horse was never subjected to a Cardiac Recovery Index at the 42-mile check. This procedure, where the heart rate is recorded, the horse is trotted 125 feet and back, and a second heart rate taken 60 seconds from the first, may have allowed the veterinarian to determine that the horse was in distress that was not obvious upon brief exam. Had a CRI indicated that the horse's heart rate remained elevated after trotting, he would have been retired from competition and may have received immediate medical care.

We learned from the veterinary report that the horse received no intravenous fluids at the ride venue, but was referred to an equine health care facility within a few hours. Typically the more rapid the intervention the more likely a favorable outcome could be expected, especially with concurrent administration of pain/anti-inflamatory medication.

Hindsight is always 20/20. However, it seems there were opportunities missed in the management of this horse over a significant period of time�primarily, a higher sense of urgency and understanding by the rider of the clinical signs of potentially life-threatening conditions in the exercised horse.

The AERC Welfare of the Horse Committee wishes to extend our deepest sympathy to those affected by the death of this horse, and to thank those whose cooperation made this educational report possible.

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