…what clubs and players can do to improve it.
by Lynn Bremner
After watching the E60 (ESPN) investigative report about the 21 horses that died from a selenium overdose, I realized that the polo community may never completely recover from this tragedy. The tragic news spilled beyond the tightly-knit polo world into the mass media stream. There were thousands of articles written about the deaths of 21 polo horses and the story made it to TV networks across the country and around the World. Polo became front-page news, but it was not the type of news that we could celebrate, it was the type of news that caused us all to mourn with the Lechuza Team.
The deaths of the 21 polo horses was an accident and a horrible tragedy. Lechuza has one of the best-run barns in polo. Their horses were very well cared for. That is what makes this tragedy such a shock. My heart goes out to the team for their loss.
For the Lechuza Team this incident continues to play out. While we return to our barns and get ready to start the next season, the battle between the insurance companies and lawyers continues. From afar, we stand on the sidelines and wonder how this will affect the future of our sport. The incident has raised a number of questions about polo and our policies for drug use in horses, which are non-existent at this time. These questions cannot be ignored now that the issues have received such widespread publicity and attention.
The USPA is working to establish some new rules and policies, an action spurred to fast-forward by the death of 21 polo horses. What new rules will the USPA develop to protect horses and players? How will they be able to implement the rules and how will these rules change our beloved sport? What can clubs do on a local level? What can individuals do?
I don’t know if anyone can answer these questions yet, but I do know that change is imminent. By taking the “glass is half-full” view I have hope that horse welfare will improve in some way. This tragedy has made everyone aware that accidents happen and that caution is needed when administering supplements and medications to our equine friends. I’m not sure that drug testing or new rules would have changed the outcome of this incident, as the horse deaths were caused by an accidental overdose . . . human error.
As the story of the Lechuza horses unfolded we began asking even more questions. This incident has thrown open a door and the polo community must walk through it. That door is titled “Horse Wellfare.” As we look at drug testing and establish checks and balances, we must not ignore the issue of horse abuse. I’ve been involved in the reporting of some physical horse abuse cases and it is not easy. Polo is a small community and individuals are afraid to report horse abuse. If it happens off the field the USPA has no jurisdiction. If a polo club does not have a management team willing to deal with the horse abuse issues then what can you do?
The USPA has a hotline you can call to report horse welfare issues that occur on the polo field. Their Polo Pony Welfare Hotline is: 859-608-4766 or email rizzo@uspolo,org. If they are not able to help you can call the city animal control in your area. They will take anonymous reports. The more witnesses you can get to call in a report the better your chances are of getting the problem resolved. You will need to provide the name of the abuser, their address or location of horse abuse and a description of what type of abuse is occurring. You can also contact me at PoloZONE.com and I can help get you in touch with the right people.
http://www.us-polo.org/polo_pony_welfare.htm
A system and procedure for reporting horse abuse or questionable drug use is something that each polo club can and should do on its own. Establish a policy at the club level where players, grooms and members have a way to report horse welfare concerns. Find a way to enable anaminity in the reporting process to protect those individuals who are submitting the report. A club vet, club manager or polo manager should be the main points of contact. If you find that your club management is not interested or able to handle horse abuse issues then there are other ways you can report it as noted above.
If you have ideas on how to improve horse welfare at the club level please post your comments on this blog or post them on the message board. We have already had many conversations about horse wellfare and drug policies on the PoloZONE Message Board. Here are two threads to follow if you are interested in reading more about this topic.