Investigation goes on in horses’ deaths

Organ by organ, veterinarians are taking apart 21 prized polo horses to uncover what killed them just before a weekend match. Simultaneously, state authorities have opened a criminal probe to determine whether the deaths were intentional, a result of negligence or simply a terrible accident.

The investigators are looking for lesions, fluids, bruises and hemorrhages, any obvious signs of sickness. They’re removing the hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys and spleens, and cutting small samples to be tested for toxins.

State officials believe the horses died from an adverse drug reaction, toxins in their food or supplements, or a combination of the two. Two days after the horses’ deaths, authorities say they have not uncovered any crime but continue to investigate.

The horses from the Venezuelan-owned Lechuza Polo team began collapsing Sunday as they were unloaded from trailers at the International Polo Club Palm Beach, with some dying at the scene and others hours later. They were set to compete in the sport’s U.S. Open tournament ahead of Sunday’s finals and were seen as top contenders.

While veterinarians work with their scalpels, investigators are interviewing everyone who encountered the horses the day of the match and gathering evidence such as feed and supplements from the stables where the horses were kept.

The exhaustive process included more evidence collecting Tuesday at the stables used by the Lechuza team.

Officials said the necropsies were completed by Tuesday night and revealed some bleeding, but they offered no definitive clues.

Dr. Michael Short, the state’s equine programs manager who is helping coordinate the case, expects that testing blood and tissue for toxins will be more important in pinpointing the cause. But results from toxicologies could take weeks.