UPDATE:
WELLINGTON, FL -- The death toll involving horses from the International Polo Club of Palm Beach has now climbed to 21. As horses prepared to take the field for a semi-final match in the US Open , more than a dozen, suddenly fell to the ground.
Within moments, officials say, seven were dead. This morning, vets lost the battle to save a horse being treated at a nearby clinic. Six other horses died while being transported for emergency help.
All of the horses, according to Tim O'Connor of the International Polo Club of Palm Beach, belong to the Lechuza Caracas polo team.
A veterinarian at the Palm Beach Equine Clinic says it appears all of the horses were exposed to some sort of toxin, although it isn't clear if the exposure came through ingestion or the air.
James Belden, a veterinarian at the Left Bank Equine Clinic, helped to treat some of the horses, including one that remained inside the Palm Beach Equine Clinic but died early Monday morning.
Belden says six other horses died after being transported to local facilities for treatment.
He and others do not suspect foul play, calling this an apparent tragic accident.
He claims, although illnesses like this are not uncommon, it is rare to see so many horses suffer at once.
Locals say they can't remember a time when so many horses died in one day. And neither can veterinarian Richard Wheeler, "I've never experienced anything to this degree before."
But Wheeler, who was on hand to treat one of the horses, doesn't believe they were killed intentionally. He says, "I think this is an accident. A terrible accident."
The unexplained deaths are rattling the close-knit equestrian community, many calling the news "devastating."
Officials tell WPTV NewsChannel 5 that samples from the 21 dead horses will be studied by the state veterinarian in Kissimmee to determine the cause of death.
All of the horses belonged to Lechuza Caracas, the team scheduled to play a semi-final match when the horses became ill. They had been stabled in Wellington since December.
Doctor Belden says he was told to expected preliminary results "within 48 hours," maybe later Monday, while other veterinarians say they don't anticipate results for another week.
The semi-final match was canceled for the day, and an exhibition match was played instead.
The U.S. Open polo championship will resume Wednesday.
Lechuza Caracas has withdrawn from the competition.
Release from International Polo Club Palm Beach:
105th US OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP 2009
Polo Community Saddened By Sudden Equine Deaths
April 19, 2009 - WELLINGTON—The polo community and fans were saddened today at International Polo Club Palm Beach when the announcement came that horses had died prior to the start of a US Open Championship match this afternoon.
“Our hearts go out to team Lechuza Caracas and hope that a speedy answer can be obtained on what happened to their magnificent animals,” said John Wash, President of Club Operations.
Lechuza Caracas, was scheduled to play a match at 3 p.m. As they were preparing their horses for the day’s competition, two collapsed and several others began exhibiting dizziness and disorientation. Veterinarians from Palm Beach Equine, International Polo’s consulting veterinarian group, and other horse related groups rushed to the scene and began treating those exhibiting symptoms. All were removed from the International Polo Club and before that operation was complete another seven had succumbed.
Consequently, the scheduled polo match was postponed and an exhibition game with a substitute team was performed to further protect the horses owned by Lechuza Caracas farm in Wellington.
The cause of death and illness has not been determined. Necropsies and other testing to determine the cause is being conducted by Kissimee Diagnostic and the State Veterinarian Dr. Mike Scott in conjunction with Palm Beach Equine.
International Polo Club Palm Beach maintains a staff of on-call veterinarians and is following the advice of its medical staff.
Polo ponies are well trained thoroughbred horses that play polo long into their mid teens. During a game or match players take extra precautions to not over exert their animals and change horses as often as every chukker and sometimes half way through a chukker.
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
News Release
Bronson Announces Investigation Into Horse Deaths
TALLAHASSEE - Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson has launched an investigation into the deaths of 21 horses that collapsed after arriving in Wellington, Florida for a polo match. Initially, 14 horses died by Sunday evening and an additional 7 died overnight.
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. At this time there is no evidence that these horses were affected with an infectious or contagious disease as there are no other horses affected at this time.
The department’s Division of Animal Industry headed up by the state veterinarian is involved in the investigation and the department’s Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement is also participating and working with local law enforcement.
The horses have been transported to a Department of Agriculture lab in Kissimmee, Florida and to the University of Florida Veterinary School for necropsies and toxicology testing. It could take several days before any test results are in or a cause of death is known.
“Obviously, this is a tragic situation and we are working hard to determine what happened,” Bronson said. “But 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.”
The horses were part of a team from Caracas, Venezuela scheduled to play Sunday in match at the U.S. Open Polo Championship in Palm Beach County. The Lechuza Caracas team had been kept at the team’s complex near the polo stadium. The horses were reported not showing any signs of illness as of Sunday morning. When the horses were off loaded at the event, some of the animals were dead and the remaining animals were showing severe symptoms of depression, respiratory problems, incoordination, and recumbancy. Despite treatment by veterinarians on site, these animals also died within a brief period of time.
FDACS officials will wait until test results are back before determining what the next step in the investigation should be.
