Horse Hickstead dies during a World Cup competition

[FastestBarrelRacer00]

His Aortic Valve burst. Poor baby. At least he died doing what he wanted, thats the only way I'd want my mare to die. I'd want her to die barrel racing. That or in a pasture of barrels.

[maxulic]

I will never get why people vote "Dislike", is it that hard to understand what a vote means? "Like" doesn't mean that you enjoy this death but it works as an hommage.

[gallopvaly123]

i have a breyer of him...this is so sad

[xxeventer101]

He died doing what he loved </3 RIP Hickstead

[Natacha17591]

Breaks that height are completely useless! We must stop making stupid competitions, they are useless except to make money! So do as I say STOP in these competitions, there are deaths in such competitions! I've had enough, leave the horses alone at the end!

[LilMissJumper00]

@Natacha17591 thats not fair to the people who arent in it for the money and treat their horses right while training them for these things and do it because they love to do it!

[thugzebras228]

This is soo sad </3

[RexRubyAce821]

</3 Why did this have to happen? Such a brave and beautiful horse.

[sophiemyponylover]

Oh my goodness I only heard of the two eventing horses died in a competition, Wide Awake and Olive Oyl how did he die?

[FallenAngelDream]

@sophiemyponylover Heart attack, heart failure? I don't know the difference, being particularly dumb, but I've read both.

[FreeMare]

@sophiemyponylover It looks to be a seizure and then a heart attack after that. This happens sometimes with horses. Nothing much you can do.

[StarCreekStudios]

omg nooooooo

[Junebug5545]

Breaks my heart!!!!!

[Junebug5545]

poor horse. At least this guy is taking this seriously!!!!!!!!

[m0dZz100]

I hate it. I just can't bare to see horses die:( Well done Eric, you handled it so professionally. Poor Hickstead:( R.I.P You were one of my favorite show jumping horses:( You will always! ALWAYS be in our hearts:'):'( xxxxxxxx

[Aryyn1]

R.I.P. Hickstead. My horse died of Heart Failure when I was away on vacation a few years ago and I never got to say good bye. :(

[KrystalIceStudios]

What exactly happend?

[IrishHoneySaddlebred]

@KrystalIceStudios The horse had a heart attack.

[KrystalIceStudios]

@IrishHoneySaddlebred I just heard like 3 different stories rather that he had a heart attack, or one of his organs raptured, and that he fell at a jump and broke his leg. So i was just curious on the real story. thanks for answering!

[LygyaPrettygrl18]

@IrishHoneySaddlebred I was sure :((( I'ts so sad...Maybe he wouldn't have died if he wasn't a racer...:(((((

[LygyaPrettygrl18]

@LygyaPrettygrl18 He won the competition like a hero :(((((((( 

[Aryyn1]

@KrystalIceStudios I want to say I read an articul on what happened and the horse ended up dying from something close to heart failure. Verry sad...

[Pliokota]

a very sad thing, nothing more tragic than sudden death, and infront of so many people. I must say though, I found it rather insensitie and unprofessional to keep replaying the footage of him going down and dying. I appreciate that they might want to make tv viewers aware of what's going on, but there was better ways of handling it in my opinion. My condolences go out to Eric Lamaze :(

[spazzical67]

@Pliokota I agree. This was a freak accident, something that I hope will never happen again, but Eric handled it so professionally. He loved this horse and the horse loved Showjumping. Yes, I understand that riders and people alike were concerned about what happened and probaly missed it within a blink of an eye, but I do agree that that footage should not have been replayed like that. This was being broadcasted live to millions of people and was hard for us all to watch. RIP. <3

[TheMissBreyer]

Never mind we will never find someone like you, We wish nothing but the best for your rider too

Don't forget us we beg we remember your amazing springtastic legs

Rest In Peace Hickstead Sing this along to adele's someone like you RIP hick stead we ll love you

[crazypizzahorse234]

may angels lead u into heaven my young prince! :'(

[isztwan67]

angels needed you

[isztwan67]

I miss him rest in peace hickstead

[battousaiblade]

my friend showed me this video.

i cant believe this happened

RIP poor boy. and to go in front of an audience no less

this is terrible!

[horsesXrXmyXlife2]

he handled that very well. im so sorry to hear about Hickstead:( such a sad moment:"(

[Rebekha1993]

i love how I've heard people call Eric Lamaze a heartless asshole for not jumping into the situation. when a horse or anything dies people go into shock, i'm pretty sure everyone there, except Eric, knew what was happening, and that horse was dead before he hit the ground.... eric handled himself extremely well...

[TJSCLUV4EVE]

u can see that hickstead during his fall made sure he did not hurt eric :(

[FeRiDaAnDsPrOcKeT233]

He died from a heart attack apparently well at leats thats what I heard

[Breyerfan780]

Can someone tell me how Hickstead die cause I know he fell but how he died I will miss you Hickstead

[meganmolls]

This makes me cry ! :'(

[Sallyismygoat]

I miss you sssoooo much Hickstead!!!!! you will be in all of our hearts forever!!!!! R.I.P.

[lilyzfillies]

We'll miss you Hickstead! RIP!

[sunchaser89]

Does anyone know why he died??

[lilyzfillies]

@sunchaser89 something happend to his heart

[XJessicaX97]

@sunchaser89 He had a sudden heart attack

[sunchaser89]

@XJessicaX97 thanks, that's so awful. did he finish his round?

[XJessicaX97]

@sunchaser89 Yes, they finished there round, and on the way out Hickstead just suddenly collapsed which was caused by a heart attack

[4x4Girl14]

@XJessicaX97 Thank you, I've been trying to figure out what happened exactly... Such a shame, he was an amazing jumper who obviously loved his job

[XJessicaX97]

@4x4Girl14 It's fine, yes it is a shame! The world has lost one amazing showjumping champion.

[1nikomi]

@sunchaser89 He acually had a ruptured aorta, which cased heart faliure... RIP Hickstead... <3

[SilvyAndLusi]

I'm heart broken 💔 That was a such amazing horse😢

[pinkey5581]

soo sad :(

[skyhighshowjumper]

that is soooo sad

[castleguardian]

It breaks my heart to watch this. I saw it on tv and I couldn't see the tv through my tears. To lose a horse is bad, but to be there and see it happen and know that there is nothing you can do to help the poor animal is just the worst pain ever! Had Eric known that there was something wrong with Hickstead he never even would have saddled up, let alone jump him. So people hating on him can just go on doing that, but he knew that horse better than anyone, those two had a connection that forms thr

[Keltichorse1]

I -3 you hick stead

[Keltichorse1]

How can you say that hjula87 that horse deserves to live not for you to eat get some common sense will ya

[gun20044411]

i miss Hickstead

[hjula87]

Exelent, now i can have mor hamburgers. How much do u want / kg price? I willing to play good for this piece of meat. Ty in advance :)

[SelkaAndHorses]

@hjula87 How can you say sth like that? Do you have nay animals? How would u feel as someon would be happy to it your dog/cat/hamster or what ever afre it died?

[macscoudy2344]

@hjula87 shut the hell up. honestly? people like you are hated everywhere.....

[toriandcheers]

Horses at that level are taken care of to such an extreme that after any insight to the daily routines of those horses, it would be impossible to consider any of it abuse. So much money is invested in them, it would be stupid to not take impeccable care of them. And to jump at that level, these horses have to have the heart for it or they wouldn't make it. It's unfortunate, but accidents happen with riding just like with anything else.

[luluMoonlight]

How can a man presume that horses or whatever other animals have to carry him around on their backs... or even do tricks or whatever other stuff??

As long as man thinks that animals do not feel, animals must feel that no man thinks. Seeing stuff like this makes me so angry. Freedom and justice for all animals!

[silverwolfdemon14]

crying my eyes out

[valuta211]

Eric could not have handled it more proffesionaly.

[11and15productions]

@valuta211 he dint no wot 2 do!

[mamalekimsn]

The noblest ever, seeing this breaks my heart!

[LygyaPrettygrl18]

@mamalekimsn mine too :((((

[rodeoluv1]

and thats why you have the vet check the horse frist and you HAVE to warm a horse up before you try to jump 6ft jumps

[PiperRocksMySocks]

What happened? He looks like he is seizuring but what is an aeoric?

[denabluechicken]

@PiperRocksMySocks see my post explaining about a horses heart, Hickstead likely died from an aortic rupture caused by an irregular heartbeat (more common in standardbreds and thoroughbreds) which is not unheard of in horses.

[elintheking1]

R.I.P Hickstead! :'(

[IssieAndLife]

It might have been a panic attack? he was panicking :/

[95sweetsoutherngirl]

@IssieAndLife he died from a massive coronary

[denabluechicken]

RIP Hickstead, you were a champion through and through

[GoldEyedNickCLover]

ok for all u uneducated people....this horse obviously couldn't stand after this fall. it's a very likely possibility that his heart exploded. I've seen this happen and it's not all that rare. there is NOTHING Eric could have done to help Hickstead. he got the reins away and got the saddle off. stop judging based off of what you don't know

[KarolHofman]

What really happened here!? I don't think it was because of the fall. Did the horse have some other disease?

I hate when animals die. It would be better if instead of one horse or other animal died a serial killer. World would be much better. :(

[denabluechicken]

@KarolHofman he likely died of a heart attack or a ruptured artery, this is fairly common in highly athletic horses (enlarged hearts). Secretariat's heart was more thand twice the size of normal (although he didn't die of a heart attack) for example.

[KarolHofman]

@denabluechicken Thanks for telling me. I think they should change some rules in this sport.

[denabluechicken]

@KarolHofman it's not the sport, it's the physiology of a horse. The very thing that makes them amazing athletes is the same thing that can bring them down. When a horse exerts itself (this happens more with racing) it's heart goes from a resting beat of around 18bpm up to as fast as 270 bpm. When they start to "cool" down their hearts have a tendency to beat irregularly, most of the time it settles back to a rhythmic beat, sometimes it gets into a fatal skip. (my whippets heart is the same)

[ilovegegory]

:( (: sooooo sad rest in peace hickstead u were a handsome boy :(

[ceej130188]

R.I.P hisckstead



[SassyMustang1980]

it looks like he had a heart attack, I've seen a horse at my old yard drop like that on a trail, very sad to watch. but no way to save them.. the convulsing are the muscles reacting to the brain, he was probably dead withing secs of falling over.. poor thing.. Bless you Eric for trying to get your best bud back up.. your an amazing person.

[asbfilly]

People need to learn about the sport and horse care before passing judgement on the situation.

When I've cared for a horse in the past that has dropped to the ground, it's safer for the horse and the humans for the horse to be standing. Thrashing on the ground can easily rupture internal organs, twist intestines, as well as inflict injury to the people trying to handle and help the horse. The rider was trying to get him to stand and sometimes it's necessary to use force.

[nlgallant835]

@asbfilly Thank you for a sensible answer.

[randomrose82]

R.I.P Hickstead, and sympathy to all his connections. I'm sure rider/owners and his groom are all devastated at losing him. xx

[randomrose82]

They wouldn't just put horse down straight away, they had to find out first if problem was something that could be treated or if horse's life could be saved. They would put him down as soon as vet discovered it was not a save-able problem. The rider was trying to get Hickstead to stand up, in case horse had colic, as it is important to get the horse standing again when they have colic.

[goldie6175]

It's common practice to try to get him on his feet. He loved that horse and no one was treated better than Hickstead.

.

[ClareDoyle2010]

he was hitting him to try and get him up:(! poor wee thing:'((u)<3! RIP Hickstead, one in a million♥♥♥.

[rednekfordgrl]

Um, better question...why was the rider still some what hitting the horse in the head while to horse OBVIOUSLY had something wrong with him! shhhhesh

[KenHi29]

@rednekfordgrl I noticed that too, he kept hitting him with his crop! What kind of rider does that? I don't do that when my horse is in pain! Poor Hickstead, he will be missed.

[TheHorseProduction]

@KenHi29 cleary he didnt know he was in pain! Eric Lamaze is an incredibal rider! he didnt know what was happening?:( RIP hickstead

[1nikomi]

@rednekfordgrl He was probably in a panic, as anyone would be if they were in this situation... I'm pretty sure he desperatly wanted him to get up

[fearzzgistoz]

lol



[TomboyCactus101]

sobs, poor Hickstead...... poor horsie.... ="(

[lonbites]

THESE HORSES SHOULD BE NOT USED TO TRAIN FOR A SPORT OR WHATEVER...LET THEM BE FREE AND LIVE THEIR LIVES...NOT LIVE THEIR LIVES FOR A SPORT FOR HUMANS TO WATCH....RIP TO THE HORSE...I HOPE THESE PEOPLE DIE IN A HORRIBLE WAY...YES I SAID IT, I HOPE THESE PEOPLE ALL DIE...LOOK AT THEM JUST STANDING THERE, IF THIS WAS YOUR HORSE, CONSOLE IT...ITS DYING FOR GOODNESS SAKE.

[TheHorsie123]

@lonbites there was nothing they could do

[lonbites]

@TheHorsie123 its just really sad to see. In my opinion i personally wish they would let these horses live their lives freely, rather than spending their lives in training and for a sport and die like this.

[supernikki12100]

@lonbites Well if the wonderful human race wouldn't destroy their habitiat or kill for whatever reason then all animals could be free but that is not going to happen.

[1nikomi]

@lonbites Almost no horses die like this. This was a very rare thing, where he had an irregular heartbeat and he had an aortic rupture

[ColdstreamDistarsio]

@lonbites You clearly don't own horses, or you would realise that they are much better under our care and love then they would be out in the wild where they frequently die of disease, starvation, dehydration and simple things like infections. You're insensitive comments show only your ignorance and small mindedness- as to them just standing there, there wasn't much they could do at that stage- before posting offensive ignorant comments please consider your opinion more carefully.

[fallenlord26]

RIP to you and to Joe Frazier =[

[lazyhorse22]

over worked the beautiful horse, this is why.

poor horse, may you be at peace now.

[allisonxm102]

@lazyhorse22 That horse wasn't over-worked. It's a trait in many excellent horses such as Hickstead. When the horse works out, the body will automatically pump more blood cells into the veins. This causes the blood to become thick and create a greater risk for clots. That's what they believe happened.

[lazyhorse22]

@allisonxm102

thnx for info.

why didn't they euthanize the horse right away, the poor horse suffer for awhile.

[goldie6175]

@lazyhorse22 , Obviously they were trying to save him by finding out what was wrong with him.

[lazyhorse22]

@goldie6175

they were just standing there. What a bunch of knuckleheads.

The poor horse was kicking and in pain.

[mariola787]

@lazyhorse22

yes hes kicking and no he is not in pain. the kicking is a reflex powered by the elecrical charges firing through the neurons in the body after his aeorta ruptured. His aeortic rupture also caused a fast decrease in blood pressure, lost his balance and lost conciousness. He was unconcious before the convulsions started.

[janjuliusalbert]

@lazyhorse22 : are you a vet? NO, so shut up and stop judging based off of what you don't know

you idiot

[supernikki12100]

@lazyhorse22 Hickstead was not in pain he probably was already dead, this can happen to anybody. Hickstead love to jump and if he didn't he wouldn't do it.

[lazyhorse22]

@supernikki12100

don't try to cheer me up, he was in pain before he died. Lousy people did not helped him.

[supernikki12100]

@lazyhorse22 Well I don't what you were watching but to me the people were trying to help. And he was already dead it can happen that fast.

[1nikomi]

@lazyhorse22 He acually was unconcious when he collapsed, so he really didn't feel a thing

[FeRiDaAnDsPrOcKeT233]

How do u know he was unconcious??

[elliebeautylover]

@1nikomi how do you know??

[allisonxm102]

@lazyhorse22 They didn't euthanize the horse right away because they didn't know what was happening. It wasn't until the autopsy that they discovered what caused it. The symptoms look much like a seizure, which a horse can recover from. It would be silly to euthanize an animal right away if you don't know what the problem is.

[supernikki12100]

@lazyhorse22 This is a very rare thing that happen, it can happen to anybody.

[michaeljangel40]

:( R.I.P YOU WILL BE MISSED

[spitfiregirl101]

does anybody know what really happend to him??

RIP Hickstead

[thesharpies111]

@spitfiregirl101 They think it was a heart attack but a biopsie will be preformed later this week. ):

[TheEdgyVeggie]

@spitfiregirl101 He had a heart attack

[spitfiregirl101]

@TheEdgyVeggie awww poor thing!!! could a 15 year old get a heart attack or did he have some health problems in the past??

[TheEdgyVeggie]

@spitfiregirl101 I don't think he had heart problems in the past but anyone can get a heart attack at any age.

[aneleite]

OK, this poor thing, unfortunately it looks like he suffered before dying. I hope we won't be seeing such tragedy happening to other animals. RIP Hickstead!

[MultiAarika]

my friend was really sad when this horse died she rides and competes with her horse as well as my sis... now i understand... :(

[muggybear9022]

:O ..... :''(

[majorb1]

so sad, such a beautiful horse 

[fancigal]

Poor Lamaze, I mean, what can you do in a situation like that but watch in horror? Literally nothing you can do but try to make the horse comfortable. He lived a happy life, he would have jumped anything for Lamaze!

[Schizophrenia222]

dude.

[lisue1]

awwww....that poor horse.