Have you had an apparently healthy horse just collapse and die?

[bayou_bengal]

The recent death of Hickstead following so closely on the heels of the death of Charlie the carriage horse has got me wondering how many other horses people on coth know of who have gone the same way. Please try to list fairly recent deaths. If you know of a “famous” horses who died this way, you can post that as well.

Briefly, Charlie had just been brought to NYC to be a carriage horse a short time before he collapsed and died suddenly and unexpectedly on the way to his stand early Oct 23. He was in good flesh and had shown no signs of illness. He was 15 years old just like the Olympic gold medal winner Hickstead, who collapsed and died suddenly in Italy just after finishing a round of jumps at an important show for show jumpers.

If you have had a horse just collapse and die without having shown any signs of being ill or “not right,” please share. Please give horse’s name, breed, age, and circumstances. Please understand that I am interested in finding out just how common or unusual these deaths are.

I will start by saying I lost Barney, a retired Percheron carriage horse to a stroke Nov. 11, 2010. He was in much better health than he had been when I had first gotten him. He had finally gained enough weight that he weighed about 1,800 lbs. He weighed about 1,400 when he was given to me.

He was said to have been 18, but post mortem exam revealed he was “closer to 28, than 18” according to my vet. Barney was coming up to get his morning feed when he collapsed and could not rise. He could not move anything but his head, and that just barely. He did not die immediately, but was euthanized after my vet said he had apparently suffered a massive stroke an would not recover. RIP Barney.

I know this isn’t a scientific survey, but any posts will be appreciated. And I am sorry for the losses those posting have suffered.

[dani0303]

I found one of my boarding horses out in a pasture one morning dead. There were no signs of any apparent struggle. Necropsy was performed and it was determined that she died of a massive heart failure. She was an 8 year old appendix that was used as a low level hunter and was in perfect health until that day.

[Slewdledo]

Yes. A few Thoroughbred mares of varying ages.

Also one TB yearling filly found dead in the field one morning with NO sign of anything wrong either on the scene or the night before.

[jetsmom]

Horse that played one chukker of a polo match and was just walking around, died of ruptured aorta. TB gelding, approx 9 yrs old.
A vet on one of the Hickstead articles explained that when horses are exerting themselves they produce more red blood cells, which thickens the blood. Then when they relax, the thickened blood has the pressure to rupture any weakness in the heart/aorta. It sound logical to me, since it seems to happen after exertion, but when they are walking/standing.

[furlong47]

At my old barn, I found one of the driving horses (used for carriages for weddings) dead in the pasture in the morning when I went out to get another horse. He was about 8-10 years old, had been used in a wedding the previous evening, and was fine when turned out for the night. When I found him, it looked almost as if he had just been frozen in place and then tipped onto his side. Not a mark on him and no signs of struggle. The owner did not have a necropsy done so I don’t know an official cause.

[BeeHoney]

Yes. A totally healthy 8 year old mare. No issues prior. I also witnessed a friend’s horse, probably about 10 years old, suddenly violently collapse and die during a quiet ride with no previous issues/symptoms. Another friend had a horse die suddenly while cubbing or hunting, I have no idea how old her horse was. These were healthy, well cared for horses.

I’m so sad about Hickstead, he was amazing.

[JoZ]

A friend found his strapping, healthy 3-year-old QH gelding dead in the pasture, no wounds or signs of struggle. Just flat out like he was sleeping. That was about 2 years ago and he didn’t do a necropsy.

Years and years ago, a barn mate took her horse to a show – the mare reared straight up for no apparent reason and went STRAIGHT over backwards. No attempt to catch herself. She was dead as soon as she hit the ground. Some people figured she died from hitting her head on the ground but a vet in attendance at the show who saw the whole thing said she was probably gone or close to it on the way down, and that the pain of whatever ruptured probably caused her to rear in that way.

[resthavenfarms]

Yep…my older “babysitter” walking horse mare, 18 or so years of age, wanted to take her out for a ride one September day. Stepped her off the trailer, she collapsed and died in front of me. It was very quick, and looked much like Hickstead’s death did.

[Lynnwood]

I posted a small list of past and present more famous horses that have died suddenly on the thread about the ASPCA’s vet being suspended. Copying and pasting here.

Hap Hansens Jumper Hai Karate died mid jump during a grand prix
Contango went out into his pasture rolled and never got up
Hannoverian sire Grannus collapsed after Klatte’s 1993 Stallion Presentation in Vechta in full view of all those spectating at 21 years of age.
Great race horse Seabiscuit died from a heart attack at only 14 not in work well after retirement.
Champion stallion War Pass dead at 5 after retirement heart attack
Tuscan Evening race mare died after a 5 furlong work out heart attack
Snow Chief 27 heart attack.
Famous Thoroughbred sire Skip Away 17 yrs old heart attack /retired.
Stallion Lost Soldier laid down for a nap in the sun and never got up 20 yrs old suspected heart attack
Harness Stallion Pacific Fella died during his first semen collection after arriving in New Zealand. Massive heart attack.
Calvaro Z passed away following a heart attack.
Mike Winters Kingpin collapsed and died on course at Rolex suffered a hemorrhage of the large vessels in the abdomen
USEF president David O’Connors Tigger Too eventing 17, acute abdominal aortic rupture.
Dressage stallion Latimer unexplained death 13yrs old
Giovanni Govoni’s, Love Affair Italian show jumping mare died suddenly in her stall at international show CSI Twente in The Netherlands
Top show jumping stallion Calvados Z died in his stall suspected rupture of the aorta
French Grand Prix dressage rider Stephanie Brieussel-Collier’s stallion Werner 5 yrs old collapsed and died at almost the begining of a lesson of an aneurysm.

As for personal … 1996/7ish Smiley Mae TB mare early 20’s walked into the ring and collapsed shortly before a full rotation with a walk trot student on board. Vet did a nercropsy and said aneurysm.

Sunny PoA pony 4 years old healthy standing in pasture @ 7am when I drove past 15 mins later dead when I called the horses in for breakfast. No sign of struggle and even still had the last bite of grass in his teeth. No nercropsy vet suspected aneurysm or kick to the temple by pasture mate.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/sudden-death-of-famed-show-jumping-horse-consistent-with-heart-stress/article2228690/

[dressagetraks]

My trainer had a horse many years ago suddenly stop and act odd during walking out after a dressage lesson. She got off, feeling something was wrong, although a few people there were saying, “Kick him on!” Horse staggered and collapsed almost as soon as she was off. Ruptured aorta.

Claiborne Farm’s great sire Nasrullah, sire of Bold Ruler, Nashua, and many others, died suddenly at age 19 in his paddock. Farm staff saw him collapse. Autopsy showed ruptured heart.

[Outfxed]

I was lungeing a 4 yr. old TB owned by Robert Ridland when I worked at the USET back in '72.

Youngster was trotting around, jumped up and bucked like he was playing. When his front feet landed, they buckled and he collapsed, bleeding profusely from his ears and nostrils. He kicked a few times and was gone within seconds. I was standing there with my mouth open, holding the end of the lunge line. Vets said brain aneuryism.

[2boys]

I watched my grade (quarter horse x something), who was 12 years old die in the pasture. He had no known health issues, and was worked several times a week. He was galloping with his pony and dropped. It took him several minutes to die (those moments haunt me still). Vet says either an aneurism, or heart attack, or stroke.

[cleozowner]

I know this isn’t a horse, but watching the Hickstead video brought me back two years when my basenji dog dropped, convulsed for maybe 10 seconds, and died. We live 5 minutes away from the emergency hospital, but she was long gone by the time we got there. I didn’t necropsy.

[Vesper_Sparrow]

Copying from my post on the H/J thread:

Interesting speculation on the cause of Hickstead’s death in the Globe and Mail this morning:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle2228690/

Research at Woodbine racetrack is suggesting heart arrhythmias may be at work in the sudden death of some horses after intense work, according to an excellent article by Beverley Smith:

"Dr. Physick-Sheard’s research has produced some unusual findings: a flurry of irregular heartbeats that occur after the horse finishes.

As he explains it, the autonomic nervous system that regulates heart rate has two opposing parts, the parasympathetic system, which shuts down when a horse reaches top speed (because it slows heart rate), and the sympathetic system, which works to increase the heart rate.

While a horse’s resting heart rate is from 16 to 18 beats a minute, it can climb as high as 270 beats a minute during a race. When the horse finishes and begins to pull up, the parasympathetic system comes back into play, but in an irregular manner, showing a lot of turbulence.

In most horses, the arrhythmias produce no ill effects in the long term, as the heart rates finally return to normal.

But sometimes the arrhythmias deteriorate into a fatal condition or sudden death. Dr. Physick-Sheard is still trying to find out why."

[meupatdoes]

I have not known any horses personally that just fell over and died, but my best friend was a working student at a barn and one of the main competition horses of the person she worked for suddenly went down of an aneurysm in the paddock. I think it was 9yo, in full work and GP dressage training, no signs of any issues whatsoever until it suddenly keeled over.

[CAH]

My heart horse was found dead in his paddock at age 18. Not a scratch on him no sign of a struggle at all.

I watched a TB one day and noticed the horse that was running last…not that he was struggling he just wasnt trying. He literally dropped dead about fifty yards from the finish line.

Friend found a healthy five year old dead in his stall…not a mark on him bleeding from the nose.

Just heard of a local farm that lost one Sunday in a similar fashion. Happens more than people realize… just this time it was a famous horse in front of a large audience

[BumbleBee]

3 year old qh. Perfect health. Playing one minute dead the next.

[bird4416]

Don’t forget the race horse Swale. After a work out 8 days after winning the Belmont, he reared up and fell over dead.

[Tasker]

Yep. It’s awful. One minute horsie is trotting to the gate. The next, BAM, they’re down and gone.

It happens. It’s horses. It’s terrible.

[jawa]

In the hunt field, a fit TB of between 8-10 yrs reared slightly (I looked back because of the odd sounding foot falls) fell over side ways rolled down the hill gently, and landed in a creek. The rider had done an emergency dismount after the slight rear as they were on a slight incline and the odd foot falls prior.

The horse struggled for about 30 secs to rise and then died.

Very shocking.