Team of Polo Ponies poisoned?

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OiskiPoiski

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For those that may have missed, the Channel 4 news just reported that in florida, a polo team from Venezuela competing in a tournament have just lost 21 horses through poisoning- most were on the pitch when they collapsed. Only 1 mare is responding to treatment.

Whilst the news pointed towards someone sabotaging the team... I wouldn't rule out the teams' own vet perhaps wrong - dosing them with steroids or enhancers pre-match. It might be coincidence that the horses that died were particularly expensive, but...

Thoughts?

Its a horrible situation either way, losing one is bad enough- but to lose 21, whether it be through attempted enhancement or sabotage, is an atrocious waste of life.


*editted to correct misheard information.
 
Apologies- it is 21. I hadn't read it, just seen it on the news, and the only number i heard was seven. Didn't want to assume different.

I cant imagine that a steroid or enhancer overdose could do something like that, unless given in extreme quantities...in which case, are people stooping so low as to wipe out the competition like this? Its just tragic.
 
in another article it said that there were traces of cleaner in the injections, iirc. might have been inadvertent, or deliberate.
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poor horses.
 
Yes, i have just glanced over an article that said there MIGHT be traces of solvent. What saddens me is that if this WAS deliberate, I doubt it will be solved as everyone is covering for one another, polo is a small world after all. But if this WASN'T deliberate, nobody will accept responsibility as i doubt they will want people knowing they performance-enhance their horses.

I mean, performance enhancing drugs aren't exactly new to the horse world, or any sport for that matter, but tainting them is not something I have heard of before, and personally the idea of it scares me silly, i cant imagine people dragging the horses into it in such a big, cruel way. The big boys might have the money to replace the horses but i doubt they are cold enough to feel indifferent about 21 of their animals dying.
Feels like a de ja vue of the pony club mother who supposedly doped the competitors' ponies of her childs' class, just on a much grander and much more disgusting scale.
 
Guys, there is no definitive reason as of yet, could well be something not deliberate, doesn't bear thinking about really
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poor pones.
 
the confusion probably arose because the y originally thought only sebven were affected and those died on site i believe the rest were transported off site and died elsewhere while beoing treated. either way it is horrid but there is alot of money in polo so you just wouldnt know. It is very odd.
 
A friend of mine was there and said it was heartbreaking to see. Again no new news on the reasons behind, however everthing is pointing to adverse reactions due to performance enhancing drugs.
This is an awful tragedy for the ponies, riders and for the sport in general!
 
My heart felt feelings go out to the grooms of these ponies that looked after them. Regardless of what turns out to be the cause.
Such a sad day.
 
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