RiP Edvardo.

[Alec Swan]

Watching the racing at Wincanton today, the loss of the horse was very strange, the group which monitor those fatalities in racing maintain that he broke his neck but what happened was that he was either brought down by another horse falling or caused another horse to fall — heavy falls for both animals — then he regained his feet and galloped on for perhaps another 50-80 yards when he appeared to literally die in the air and collapsed mid stride.

By his muscle spasms it did look suspiciously like a broken neck, but if that was the case, I'd have doubted that he managed to gain his feet again after the fall. The only consolation is that I'd doubt that he suffered much. My commiserations to his owners, trainers and specifically those who care for him on a daily basis and who will doubtless care for him and tomorrow morning, come down to an empty box. It's the one aspect of racing that we all hate, I'm sure.

Alec.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Apparently his reins were over his head and they turned him over breaking his neck. Very sad.

 

[TelH]

I was out this afternoon but watched the racing on catch up when I got in (and kinda wished I hadn't after what happened). I wonder if he had a heart attack. I remember seeing the show jumper Hickstead who collapsed and died in the ring and he had similar spasms when he went down.
Whatever the reason it was relatively quick, that is the only solace we can take from it. There seems to be a bad run of fatalities recently and I'm sure no-one is feeling it more than the people who looked after the unfortunate ones.

 

[mypegasus]

It was a bizarre incident.

Could it have been that he fractured his neck in the original fall - but it wasn't displaced so didn't damage his spinal cord. Then when he was galloping along it suffered a displacement and killed him?

Condolences to all of his connections and his stable lad/lass who will as Alec says have an empty box tomorrow morning.

 

[bonny]

Does it really matter ? I find this thread rather morbid.....can’t see how it helps or informs anyone

 

[Alec Swan]

^^^^ you read it through though, for all that!

Alec.

 

[SpringArising]

Does it really matter ? I find this thread rather morbid.....can’t see how it helps or informs anyone

Why shouldn't it be discussed?

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

It was a bizarre incident.

Could it have been that he fractured his neck in the original fall - but it wasn't displaced so didn't damage his spinal cord. Then when he was galloping along it suffered a displacement and killed him?

Condolences to all of his connections and his stable lad/lass who will as Alec says have an empty box tomorrow morning.

It's entirely possible that it had a non-displaced fracture from the fall which then went shortly after. I saw one at Ayr many years ago. Horse galloped home with his head at a wonkey angle, was put straight under the hoses as he was over heating too bless him, he went to move, the lad holding him tugged the reins to get him to stand, horses head went up and that was that. Straight to the floor. The movement you see from the body for the next dew seconds is it winding down and the last of the signals that left the brain being transfered to the muscles. Sadly they don't just drop and lay still and that's the most upsetting part to deal with. You know their gone, their brain is dead, they are unresponsive but the body still takes time to shut down.

My thoughts are with all those involved. It's never nice to go home with an empty stall in the box and to an empty stable.

 

[MissTyc]

It was a bizarre incident.

Could it have been that he fractured his neck in the original fall - but it wasn't displaced so didn't damage his spinal cord. Then when he was galloping along it suffered a displacement and killed him?

Condolences to all of his connections and his stable lad/lass who will as Alec says have an empty box tomorrow morning.

This is possible. My friend's horse did this during a loading accident. Had a bad fall, went down on his neck, got up and seems fine as he was being led towards stable. Spooked sideways at something and died Hopefully it was quick for the horse in the moment.

 

[Honeylight]

I was watching the race on the TV and my partner was in the room, so I didn't rewind to see what happened, he would have gone on all night about me being morbid if I had, but I did notice something strange about the position of one of the loose horse's heads not long before the incident. My first thought and what I said to my partner was that the horse's spine must have been damaged in the initial fall or it had a heart attack.
Horrible incident, think something similar happened to a horse in the Grand National once if I remember correctly. Sympathies with everyone concerned with this lovely horse.

 

[Goldenstar]

Sounds like a non displaced fracture from the initial fall displaced .
Very sad poor horse .

 

[Alec Swan]

It was a bizarre incident.

Could it have been that he fractured his neck in the original fall - but it wasn't displaced so didn't damage his spinal cord. Then when he was galloping along it suffered a displacement and killed him?

……...

I agree with you, and as others have also said. It would seem that following the fall where the damage was incomplete, further exertion finalised the injury, and that would seem the most likely explanation.

Alec.

 

[Honeylight]

I watched the replay this morning and it is difficult to see what actually happened as he was obscured by other horses. What I did notice was that he didn't actually come down with a rotational fall, more badly interfered with, he could have been bashed by the other faller. The reins were hanging loose and his head was getting lower. Perhaps trainers should run horses in Irish martingales more often, you rarely see them now.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I watched the replay this morning and it is difficult to see what actually happened as he was obscured by other horses. What I did notice was that he didn't actually come down with a rotational fall, more badly interfered with, he could have been bashed by the other faller. The reins were hanging loose and his head was getting lower. Perhaps trainers should run horses in Irish martingales more often, you rarely see them now.

Every jumps trainer I know runs with Irish martingales. I can't speak for flat trainers. But an Irish won't do you any good if the reins are over the head.

 

[Fools Motto]

If thinking along the lines of the reins bringing him down fatally, then people might consider some sort of quick release by the buckle? Just a thought.
Sad, but I do suspect his neck was displaced after the previous fall at the first flight. He wouldn't have known, bless him.

 

[Alec Swan]

I watched the replay this morning …….. .

Could you head me towards the system whereby I can see it again? I'd be grateful.

Alec.

 

[Fools Motto]

Could you head me towards the system whereby I can see it again? I'd be grateful.

Alec.

I go to http://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/video/ some meetings it doesn't show, but Wincanton it does.

 

[Orangehorse]

Usually leather reins break if a horse steps on them, sometimes just snap or the buckle breaks.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Usually leather reins break if a horse steps on them, sometimes just snap or the buckle breaks.

Sadly they didn't this time. Those on course and adjacent incident are saying he got tangled up and turned over.

 

[Orangehorse]

Poor horse.

 

[Honeylight]

Poor horse; a freak accident.
Perhaps reins need to be looked at, this shouldn't have needed to happen, they need to be made to break with force.

 

[Honeylight]

Could you head me towards the system whereby I can see it again? I'd be grateful.

Alec.

It was just the recording on the Virgin box that I set up for terrestrial racing. Were you able to find the race on something?

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Poor horse horrid to lose his life this way.

To me his stride looks awkward prior to the fatal fall , rip in piece lad.

 

[scotlass]

Horrible accident to watch, and like others have commented on here, I too immediately thought when the horse got up and came back into camera view, the way he was carrying himself wasn't right.

Sadly, an interview with the trainer about his upcoming runners has also revealed Edvardo didn't get caught in his reins, but had a broken spine and had ruptured his spleen.

My thoughts are with everyone connected with the horse, and from the report in Racing Post, it has , not surprisingly, deeply affected everyone at the yard.

 

[Velcrobum]

It is remarkable what adrenaline will mask in both humans and animals sad but true.