Tragedy for Polo Ponies

One of the biggest animal related stories to hit America recently was quite a sad one. 21 horses died within an hour of each other just before an international polo match. On April 23rd, a veterinary pharmacy in Florida admitted that it incorrectly prepared medication which was administered to treat the polo ponies.

 

The 21 ponies all collapsed one after another in front of shocked spectators on April 19th in a heartbreaking scene at the prestigious polo tournament at the marquee International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida.

 

Two horses fell first, and as vets and team officials rushed to revive them, others obviously started to become dizzy. Some of the horses died at the scene while others passed away while being transported to a Wellington horse farm and a veterinary hospital.

 

Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala, Florida, conducted an internal investigation and came to the conclusion that the strength of a medication was incorrect. The company has said it will cooperate with authorities in their ongoing investigations.

 

Franck’s has also apologized to the horses' owners, the Lechuza Polo team of Venezuela, as well as the members of the United States Polo Association. 

 

A memorial ceremony for the horses was performed on April 23rd at the U.S. Open Polo Championship. The service included a short speech and a wreath-laying on the field.

 

The captain of the Lechuza Polo team, Juan Martin Nero, told an Argentine newspaper that he had no doubts that the animal’s deaths were the result of vitamins given to them.

 

"There were five horses that did not get the vitamin, and those were the only ones that survived," Nero stated.

However, although post-mortems performed by a University of Florida laboratory found significant hemorrhaging in some of the horses, they weren’t able to find the specific cause.