The investigation into the untimely death of a pregnant horse at the Petco Park rodeo has drawn to a sobering conclusion. The San Diego Humane Society's law enforcement team, after a thorough inquiry, has determined that no laws were broken in the incident that resulted in the demise of the 16-year-old mare on January 11. According to FOX5 San Diego, the horse began shaking after the competition and, despite prompt veterinary attention, passed during an on-site exam.
Detailed in the results of a necropsy published by the Humane Society today and cited by the San Diego Humane Society, the cause of death was a ruptured uterine artery that happened spontaneously. While the incident has raised questions about the effects of rodeo events on pregnant horses, authorities could not find sufficient evidence that directly connects the horse's participation in the rodeo to her death.
Despite the investigation's findings, the event has not been without criticism. Pease & Ijadi, APC, a San Diego-based law firm, rebuked the humane society's announcement. "SD Humane fails to mention that each horse used in this saddle bronc event had a tight 'bucking strap' tied around the abdomen, which forces the horse to buck wildly against the painful apparatus," they alleged, as stated in a rebuttal reported by FOX5 San Diego. The firm suggests that this could have been the cause of the rupture in the mare, who was believed to be eight months into her pregnancy.
