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polo horses die

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I'm not sure if you have heard this story about the polo horses dying. There was a big match yesterday but before it they horses all started dying. They just announce on the local new the death count just went up to 21 horses. Ok these are ultra expensive polo horse (each being around 100k or more). This also happens to have happened LESS then a mile from my house...not good. I live in a really large equestrian area. Yesterday I kept seeing the equestian ambulances on the street - yes they have them.

Polo pony death toll climbs to 21 overnight after mystery illness fells horses set to compete in Wellington

WELLINGTON — At least 14 horses died Sunday after collapsing before a polo match, and seven more appear to have died overnight as efforts to save them from a mystery malady.

Vets began to intervene within minutes of the first horse falling. They hooked up intravenous tubes to the sick horses and fought to help them breathe as the horses from the Lechuza Caracas team, officials said.

"Some died right away. Others lasted about 45 minutes," said veterinarian Scott Swerdlin, a member of the Palm Beach Equine Clinic who was at the scene and said 14 horses died.

This morning CBS 12, reports that another horse died at the Wellington Equine Clinic overnight and six others died en route to medical facilities.

The Lechuza Caracas team was scheduled to play Sunday in a match as part of the U.S. Open Polo Championship at the International Polo Club Palm Beach, on 120th Avenue South. Each polo team typically brings about 24 horses to a match.

I dunno I cant stand when someone harms a animal like this. I hope it was a accidental poisoning or something and not some insurance scam or some evil person.

The horses began breathing heavily and stumbling at the Lechuza equestrian facility before they were brought to the polo club, Swerdlin said he was told.

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missb's picture
missb
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Re: polo horses die

Verrrrry strange!! I'll be curious to know what the outcome is on this. I would imagine that it's something accidental, or at least I hope. So sad Sad

Smartmom's picture
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Re: polo horses die

Yeah no joke - my company services alot of those barns so I came in today and pulled our records and EEKS that is one of our barns. We have a HUGE system (actually 3 of them). Its nothing we did but geez that hits wayyyyyyyy to close to home.
With 21 horses down I would say its some horrible accident. Yes every know and then you hear of someone killing a horse for insurance money (remember 100k and up). Its really quite sick when they do and they do prosecute them when they catch them. Sad times in Welly world (Wellington).

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Re: polo horses die

Well they said on the news (just now) that the horses were taken to the University of FL College of Veterinary Medicine to be studied. The interviewed a vet here and he said that the horses are not drug tested and that its common for them to be given a "vitamin cocktail" to help them. WTF is that about? I'm thinking bet they change that law soon. I don't think anyone wanted to hurt the horses but something went wrong. They said they should have the results by Thur.

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Re: polo horses die

What a screw up that was.

Jennifer Beckett of Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala, Fla., told The Associated Press in a statement that the business conducted an internal investigation that found "the strength of an ingredient in the medication was incorrect." The statement did not say what the ingredient was.

See full story here

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Re: polo horses die

Holy Moly. I hope the pharmacy's got a good lawyer. They're damned if they do, and damned if they don't.

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Re: polo horses die

Well in the past two days I have gotten alot of information on this one story. Like I said we do alot of work for this barn and know them. There is a STRONG rumor about what has gone down here. Here is the thing when those horses when down it was the whole team and there were getting ready to play the championships. I would be like a football team dying as they arrived at the super bowl to play a game - it was a huge match. Well the owner of the team was there. Let me just say he is heavily protected (security) and is the right hand man of Hugo Chavez. Well what do they love the most - their polo horses. There is a strong rumor that this could possibly be a hit that was taken out. How do you get at a man you can touch - go after what he loves. We also heard that his barn hands are afraid to go back home and wont because they are afraid for their lives.

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Re: polo horses die

This wouldn't surprise me at all.... something weird is going on for sure.

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Re: polo horses die

Oh my. That is so sad. I would hate to think that this was a malicious act, but honestly it seems too suspicious to be natural or even an accident.

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Re: polo horses die

Well the update on the polo horses - they are now really looking at the vet.

Investigators looking at vet in Polo horse deaths

WELLINGTON, FL -- The medical case into what killed 21 prized polo horses may be winding down, but what lead up to the animal's death is now the focus of the investigation.

State officials say it was too much selenium which killed the animals. Francks Pharmacy in Ocala prepared that medication for the horses and admitted publicly the "strength of an ingredient...was incorrect."

Sources close to the company however tells Newschannel Five the pharmacy now believes they filled the prescription as it was given to them. The on-duty pharmacist apparently even double checked to make sure the prescription was accurate and was still told to fill it by the veterinarian.

Lechuza Caracas team manager Esteban Scott confirms in an interview set to air Tuesday night on ESPN, that Wellington veterinarian James Belden called in that prescription.

The news said that the pharmacy in Ocala is getting lots of death threats and that the Wellington Vet is just devistated.

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Re: polo horses die

I'm not really understanding the part where it says the pharmacist double checked it and was still told to fill it by the vet? Are they implying that the vet had something to do with it?

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