An Irish rider has been accused of abusing a horse with fatal consequences at the showgrounds of the CSI2* GPA Jump Festival at Cagnes-sur-Mer in France.

The circumstances of the fatal incident are still somewhat unclear, but a document issued in French by the show organizers shed some light on what might have happened. As Monday was a rest day without competition at the GPA Jump Festival, the organizers are now calling for witnesses. Translated into English, the document reads:

“Monday 10th of October 2016 17.30 at the Hippodrome de la Côte d’Azur at Cagnes-sur-Mer.

I, the undersigned ........................... certify having seen [NAME OF RIDER] riding on the polytrack ring accompanied by another person on foot holding a dressage whip. These two people were beating the horse to make it gallop without stopping. Under this constraint, the horse ended up collapsing and dying in this ring.”

On the show organizers’ official Facebook account, a statement was released yesterday saying that “Following today’s accident on the racetrack, the organization will take all necessary measures to clarify the circumstances of this tragedy and punish those responsible. The animal compliance is our priority, and we are committed to making sure it is respected!!”

The show organizers have excluded the rider from the rest of the show.

World of Showjumping reached out to the FEI late last night, and will be publishing their statement as soon as it becomes available. 

Text and picture © World of Showjumping