It is maybe a morbid streak in me but I regularly scan the Deaths section of Wikipedia. It really all started when I discovered, months later, that my old boss and everybody's favourite weatherman, Ian McCaskill had died. Since then, I have made a number of surprising and/or saddening discoveries. One of which was the number of 'well known' horses that have died this year. Twenty-two up to the end of July.

Granted, given the number of horses ridden every day in races, eventing, endurance, dressage or simply for recreation, twenty-two is but a drop in the ocean; nevertheless, it needs putting into perspective. We are talking here of twenty-two top-flight horses that have won or have made a significant mark in such prestigious races or competitions that they warrant an international obituary. These horses may represent the 'crème de la crème', as Miss Jean Brody might have put it, but they are also representative of the many thousands of horses, less well known or totally unknown, that suffer a similar fate every week.

It could be said that horses are dying all the time, and that would be true, so what difference do these twenty-two make. Well these twenty-two also show us some of the stark realities of equine competition:

A number, particularly the American horses, has made the mid to late twenties; but half the horses were twenty or younger–three being a staggering 10 or less. The 'cause' of death in most cases was euthanasia; the actual cause will no doubt remain a secret between trainer/owner and vet. Sometimes a little more detail is forthcoming; there are three heart attacks (one at 16 years), one with complications following colic, one with complications following foaling, one pelvic hæmorrhage, one pulmonary hæmorrhage (at nine years of age).

Put into human terms, this would not seem to be a surprising statistic: the primary cause of death among humans is heart disease - except horses do not normally suffer heart disease in the way humans do. In the case of horses, reduced blood circulation as a result of shoeing puts an excessive strain on the heart... Colic is always a possibility but mass feeding of inappropriate feeds is the principal cause. The incidence of 'colicky horses' is so widespread–just about every stable, riding school and trainer's yard will have its share–that this becomes an important part of the statistics thanks to the insistence of so many owners in giving their horses three meals a day.

One can always speculate regarding the foaling and hæmorrhaging incidents but once again, standard practices abound that can be the cause of such events: the broodmare require to foal every year; the horses locked up in stalls 22 hours a day; pushing horses to their limits...

The horse world is one of money: many billions of Euros/Pounds/Dollars are betted and invested every year with just a small amount of that money being put aside supposedly for the welfare of the horses post-competition. In fact, this investment in welfare is little more than a token gesture to those expressing concern; in reality, there is far too little for those that get to retirement and major problems still lie in the career period of the horse.