Deaths of 21 Polo Ponies

The equine world is reeling from the sudden, tragic deaths of 21 polo ponies belonging to the Venezuelan team competing at the U. S. Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida on Sunday. The ponies started expiring about two hours before they were scheduled to compete. Some of the horses were already dead when they arrived at the stadium; others died in rapid succession. Some died the next day, while receiving veterinary care.

Needless to say, the horse-friendly community of Wellington is devastated and rumors are rampant as to what caused these sudden deaths. Each polo pony was reputed to be valued at about $100,000. Make no mistake; these are the creme de la creme of equine athletes and are treated as such. It is hard to believe anyone would cause injury to these amazing athletes.

Yesterday, the State of Florida's Division of Animal Industry released a statement that said the horses were not affected with an infectious or contagious disease at the time of their deaths. They suspect the deaths were a result of an adverse drug reaction or toxicity.

All of which makes this story even more tragic. The horses were not showing any signs of illness Sunday morning. The Venezuelan Team veterinarian, James Belden, said it was unlikely that the horses had died from tainted medication or any type of steroids because both are banned in England, where the team usually competes.

Necropsies are underway but it will take some time to learn the results. For now, Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson said "It would be irresponsible to speculate on what may have killed the horses. We will wait until the facts are in before making any specific comments on the case."

You can read more reports here and here. In the meantime, condolences go out to Venezuelan banker Victor Vargas owner of the team. Yet another blemish on the public face of equine sports. It may take a long time to recover from this one.