21 polo horses died Wellington
21 Horses Die Suddenly at Palm Beach Polo Match
At least 21 horses have died after coming down with a mysterious ailment moments before they were scheduled to compete in the prestigious U.S. Open polo tournament.
Though the Florida Department of Agriculture was conducting lab tests to determine the cause of death, veterinarians said they suspected the horses were probably killed by some sort of poison.
At least 14 of the horses from Venezuela’s Lechuza Caracas team, worth an average of $100,000 each, died Sunday after several of the animals became dizzy and collapsed as they were being unloaded at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.
Seven horses died at the club; a total of 15 from the Venezuetan team died yesterday. The rest died overnight or early this morning as they were receiving medical care or en route to medical treatment, said Terence McElroy, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Agriculture.
PBSO and state investigations launched in deaths of 21 horses in Wellington
WELLINGTON — State investigators think 21 polo horses that died Sunday were likely stricken by “an adverse drug reaction or toxicity” that led to their rapid demise.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office launched parallel law enforcement investigations of the horses’ deaths today as scientists and veterinarians try to figure out what killed them.
“Because of the very rapid onset of sickness and death, state officials suspect these deaths were a result of an adverse drug reaction or toxicity,” said Terrence McElroy, spokesman for the state agency, in a written statement. “At this time, there is no evidence that these horses were affected with an infectious or contagious disease.”
The Sheriff’s Office assigned two detectives to conduct a parallel death investigation. He said investigators have already talked to veterinarians who worked on the horses and they hope to speak with the horse’s owner.
Vets blame toxin in 21 polo horse deaths in Fla.
WELLINGTON, Fla. — The sudden death of 21 polo horses at a championship event in Florida may have been caused by a toxin in the animals’ feed, vitamins or supplements, veterinarians said Monday.
The horses from the Venezuelan-owned team Lechuza Caracas became ill just before a tournament match Sunday, collapsing and dying on the scene or while being treated at vet clinics or transported, officials said.
The deaths shocked this affluent equestrian and golfing community in central Palm Beach County, where the International Polo Club Palm Beach hosts the U.S. Open Polo Championship every year
“This was devastating. It was heartbreaking, to see that many horses get sick all at once,” said John Wash, president of club operations.
Dr. Scott Swerdlin, a veterinarian at Palm Beach Eq
uine Clinic near the polo grounds, treated one of the sick horses. He said it appeared the animals died of heart failure caused by some kind of toxin that could have been in tainted food, vitamins or supplements, or by some combination of all three that caused a toxic reaction.
“A combination of something with an error in something that was given to these horses caused this toxic reaction,” Swerdlin told reporters.
Toxicology tests were pending Monday.