2 horses die in paddock at Newbury

Ok, to go with the orginal post. I have just watched a video on sky - I had too, I can't really comment otherwise :o

The sad thing is, the horse that seemed to fall, and I assume die, was slowed down over the area it was standing, as the horse in front was making a fuss (about the electricity) I don't know if the horse making a fuss also died - but its just so sad. If the horse hadn't been slowed down on that area, increasing its exposure to the current it may not have died. Tragic :(

I'm not blaming the lads or anyone else for that btw, just tragic :(
 
I love racing with all my heart, but it was a sad day yesterday, Glencove Marina who came second in a close finish in the Hennessey died of a heart attack. My neighbouring friend and trainer lost Money Trix in that race with a broken hind leg. I have just gone out and given my old hurdler a huge hug.
 
Latest on the local news is that a section of cable has been removed, they say that it has to do with the wearing of the shoes as to why the horses died and say that there was no threat to the public and presumably the handlers as they only felt a mild shock.

The results of the PM's on the horses are due tomorrow, will look out for the local News in case the National does not pick it up.

I had a brush with electricity earlier this year and it was horrible,I could not let go until the fuse blew and it left me with a nasty exit wound, I still have the scar, a lucky escape for me.
 
pastie2 said:
I love racing with all my heart, but it was a sad day yesterday, Glencove Marina who came second in a close finish in the Hennessey died of a heart attack. My neighbouring friend and trainer lost Money Trix in that race with a broken hind leg. I have just gone out and given my old hurdler a huge hug.
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Doesn't mention it yet on Racehorse Deathwatch, Animal Aids tally of racehorse deaths. http://horsedeathwatch.com/

I was wondering if they would include the two that had died in teh paddock.
 
One of those black days for the sport. So far not been a good year for NH racing: a lot of horses now out for the season for various reasons, the loss of Twist Magic and Joe Lively to name but two earlier deaths, and now this .......

Let us hope things can look up a bit from now on.
 
I dont post here often although I do lurk, but I feel compelled to mention my sadness at the loss of those horses and the pain they, and the others clearly felt. I suffer with an internal dilemma as I love racing but feel I shouldnt because of the wastage and the injury level...but my love for it overwhelms my moral outrage. However, it will be a while before I feel ready to have a bet on a race... I couldnt even choose my nap at the pub on Saturday. A little piece of my enthusiasm died with those horses.
 
What a terrible accident. I am probably being a bit thick, but even if there was a damaged cable under the ground, wouldn't the horses' shoes have had to come int direct contact with it, as I thought that earth is a pretty usless conductor of electricity. But I guess that if the ground had been airated, and then it became wet, that would make the ground live as water is a very good conductor?
 
kerilli said:
steel's a much better conductor than aluminium, iirc. utterly tragic. makes me wonder how long the problem might have been there, but maybe a steel-shod horse wasn't led over that area... :( :( :(
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They do say that you can learn something every day - if you take a look at this link :-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_resistivity_and_conductivity

you'll should be able to see that aluminium conducts electricity about three times better than steel; however; in my opinion - it matters not one jot what these poor horses were shod with - bear feet would have had the same outcome.
 
1stclassalan said:
They do say that you can learn something every day - if you take a look at this link :-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_resistivity_and_conductivity

you'll should be able to see that aluminium conducts electricity about three times better than steel; however; in my opinion - it matters not one jot what these poor horses were shod with - bear feet would have had the same outcome.
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an anodised aluminium coating doesn't conduct electricity, i think that's what i was thinking of. seems strange that the reports are that the only 2 steel-shod horses in the race are the ones that died... i agree though, bare feet could have been as bad, bone and hoof are good conductors too. :( :(
 
sizz said:
What a terrible accident. I am probably being a bit thick, but even if there was a damaged cable under the ground, wouldn't the horses' shoes have had to come int direct contact with it, as I thought that earth is a pretty usless conductor of electricity. But I guess that if the ground had been airated, and then it became wet, that would make the ground live as water is a very good conductor?
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No you're not being thick! You are asking a well meaninf question about something you're not sure about - which is highly commendable considering we are on the Interweb!

Electricity will go to earth in the shortest route - most of the time; however; natural surroundings are not laboratory conditions so average ground in the open will be of different textures and substances even when cultivated as a parade ring ( I'm very interested about this "airation business" as there are some machines that would easily damage any cable ) and wetness will make conduction easier. Generally - the higher the voltage - the more things will carry it, the further it will go and kill easier.

Many shocks are had by absorbing very small proportions of the current available ( your muscles work by electric impulses ) others can be two point contacts and if they are postive and negative - it's an extremely good one! A person standing on an earth leakage will be bridging two points of varying potential and get shocked accordingly - a poor horse has four feet further apart and so could get far more shock as compared to a person in the same place.

Most domestic circuits these days are protected by earth leakage breakers which trip off exceedingly quickly when they sense a very small current; however; company mains are not. There are two sorts of cable faults - short circuits ( they usually go bang sometimes spectacularly) and open circuits in which the power doesn't get to where you think it should but it doesn't go bang - finding what's causing these can be a complete pain in the b*m.

Don't forget that a cable can lay in the ground for years and by livened up by someone throwing a switch far away - it doesn't necessarily have to be damaged where the shock occurs.
 
kerilli said:
an anodised aluminium coating doesn't conduct electricity, i think that's what i was thinking of. seems strange that the reports are that the only 2 steel-shod horses in the race are the ones that died... i agree though, bare feet could have been as bad, bone and hoof are good conductors too. :( :(
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Writing as an installer of literally miles of anodised aluminium office partitioning - can assure you that it conducts electricity exceedingly well!

I think the steel shoe business will prove to be pure coincidence and nothing more.
 
Alec Swan said:
.......and so do I, for just this once!! :rolleyes:

For those who would attempt to offer their credentials and experience, this thread, as others have said, has sod all to to with those who would promote themselves, it was offered as the thought provoking question, "How, on earth, could this happen?" A desperately sad event. Nothing more, or less.

Alec.
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Absabloodylutely! By Golly if it turns out it is the fault of the electic company there`s going to be a whopping payout. Poor beautiful creatures:(
 
Interesting posts, 1stCA. You seem to know what you're talking about.

Two questions for you; firstly, is it possible that the whole of the grass area was "live"? and secondly, why was it that it was only when the handlers, or vets, actually touched the horses, and when they were recumbent, that they felt a shock?

Alec.
 
To those of you who decided to use this post (god knows why) to vilify horse racing, please read the current leader on H&H. Not all owners and trainers are monsters who don't give a damn about their horses once their racing days are over.
 
silu said:
To those of you who decided to use this post (god knows why) to vilify horse racing, please read the current leader on H&H. Not all owners and trainers are monsters who don't give a damn about their horses once their racing days are over.
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I do hope you are not including me in that little outburst?:eek:
 
silu said:
To those of you who decided to use this post (god knows why) to vilify horse racing, please read the current leader on H&H. Not all owners and trainers are monsters who don't give a damn about their horses once their racing days are over.
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Hear Hear!!:D:D
 
You are not the only one to have thought that, John Hales is quoted in our local paper as follows
"we were wearing alumium plates which it turned out was a blessing in disguise because as far as I know aluminium doesn't conduct electricity as well as steel".
As said though, it doesn't matter how they were shod, just such an awful accident to have happened.
 
Cuffey thank you for posting that article - I will print it out and highlight the electrical safety section for our yard as people can be a bit careless with electrical extension leads - I just don't think people realise unless it is pointed out to them sometimes.
 
No real surprise but they have announced that the cause of death was cardiac arrest from electrocution and the underground cable in the paddock was to blame.
 
Alec Swan said:
Interesting posts, 1stCA. You seem to know what you're talking about.

Two questions for you; firstly, is it possible that the whole of the grass area was "live"? and secondly, why was it that it was only when the handlers, or vets, actually touched the horses, and when they were recumbent, that they felt a shock?

Alec.
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Sorry to take so long answering - been away. There's no real limit to leaking electricity so a large area of the grass could have been live - but the amount of shock will be governed by impedence which is the resistance of the substances it has to flow through. You are probably aware that most cables have at least one live conductor and a neutral but this is only really an earth that's bonded all the way back to the generator - in fact all electrical equipment will work prefectly well live to earth but you'd get a shock off any conductor touching that earth!

Your second question actually poses some more - the first thing to be asked is about the quality of witness statements - can they be relied upon? If they did feel a "tingle" as reported then I refer you to my original post, they two legged people wearing insulating shoes no doubt, as against fourlegged horses with bare feet.
 
So the Official Vet Report has been published and surprise, surprise, neither horse showed any outward sign of burning and neither did the saddlery - both horses suffered heart failure following electrocution yes but much of the original hype turned out to be just that.

What really interests me is the cable in question - was it just sitting there alive all the time or did someone turn it on recently? If it had been two people killed there'd be a coroner's hearing not to mention a Health & Safety enquiry "death at a place of business" but as it's two horses it'll be a private insurance claim and nothing more.
 
A very good friend of mine was at Newbury when this happened and was very distressed. It did (according to her) take a while for people to work out what was happening (understandably) but she did reiterate that no person on the same ground seemed to suffer any of the effects. She also saw AP racing down after his jockey and horse to get him off - apparently that horse started playing up so they took him out to get going.

Oh well another good reason for me buying my cordless clippers for a horse that likes to dance around when being sorted out..
 
Luci - you can still use your mains clippers but make sure they are plugged into a fast tripping breaker - thread any cable near the horse through some garden hose or rig it in the roof of the clipping box on a spring to keep it off the floor.
 
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