The eventing test at the CHIO Aachen was overshadowed by the death of the horse Allstar B. At jump 16 d, a narrow high long jump, the 17-year-old gelding was injured so badly that he had to be put to sleep in a veterinary clinic a few hours later. There was no prospect of allowing the horse to live a pain-free life.
Things were actually going well for Rosalind Canter and Allstar B. Both are an experienced couple, having been world champions at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon four years ago and have been involved in three gold medals for the British team at championships. After a good dressage and only one drop in jumping, Carter went with good prospects on the 3990 meter long cross-country course around the Aachen Soers. The horse cleared the first 15 jumps with ease, the heavily favored Britons were in the lead and Carter was on course to play her part in the win.
The pair came to obstacle 16d, the fourth element of a jump sequence on a small hill. The jump was narrow and had to be ridden very precisely, nothing that Canter and Allstar hadn’t done umpteen times. Whether there was a slight discrepancy between rider and horse can no longer be determined, but Allstar, without jumping off, banged his left front leg against a wooden part of the obstacle and stood on three legs. He didn’t want to put any weight on the injured leg, which is always a bad sign, and in less than a minute a screen was erected around the scene of the accident, with the ambulance and horse trailer arriving immediately. Allstar was taken to Friedrich Wilhelm Hanbücken’s veterinary clinic near Aachen, where the full extent of the injury was revealed.
“The horse must have made an extreme turning movement,” says Friedrich Hanbücken, who is also the head of the veterinary commission in Aachen. “There was an open fracture in the crown joint (the joint just above the hoof, note)“The damage was irreparable, according to Hanbücken, that’s what the investigations showed. That means there was no chance of allowing the horse to live a pain-free life, even if it had spent the rest of its days as a pensioner in the pasture. On advice of the vets, the owners decided to euthanize Allstar.”I can’t find words to express the love and respect for Allstar. He was a huge part of building my career and will be missed by many,” said Canter.
Even new security mechanisms would not have helped much in the case of Allstar B
Although the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) is constantly tightening safety regulations, accidents and injuries cannot be ruled out. More and more obstacles are being fitted with devices that open when hit hard to prevent falls. However, that would not have helped much in the case of Allstar B, since he had not jumped off and also not fallen. The prerequisites for starting in a difficult test are also increasingly linked to corresponding preliminary work, and judges can stop the horse and rider at any time and take them out of the test if they think they are overwhelmed. Dangerous riding is punished, cross-country riding is no longer a sport for fearless daredevils. Rosalind Canter and her horse actually met all the requirements for a successful ride.
An examination is mandatory for all horses killed in international sport. The result in the Allstar case was not yet available on Saturday evening.
