World Cup final in Riyadh

Tragic! Horse dies in stable after jumping

The horse of US rider Jill Humphrey died shortly after the show jumping.

(Bild: twitter.com/USequestrian)

At the World Cup Final in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, a horse died after the second jumping competition. Chromatic BF had returned to the stables after the competition on Thursday evening and collapsed unexpectedly, according to the World Equestrian Federation.

The horse owned by US rider Jill Humphrey could not be revived and the 13-year-old gelding is now undergoing an autopsy. Humphrey had shown three clear rounds with Chromatic in the two competitions of the World Cup Final so far, in which the Austrian Max Kühner is also competing, and came third in a competition with a jump-off on Thursday.

The pair were in fifth place overall before the decisive test on Saturday. For the 43-year-old Humphrey, qualifying for the final tournament in Saudi Arabia's capital was the biggest success of her career to date.

Clarification from breeder
Breeder KC Branscomb explained the circumstances on Facebook: "Chromatic came back to the stables happy and calm after jumping, accompanied by his lifelong handler Pepe Rodriguez and Jill. After resting and refreshing himself, he received a routine electrolyte injection from the USET team veterinarian. Upon returning to the barn, the horse began convulsing in my presence and collapsed in the stall. It was immediately treated and examined by the bandage and vets and shortly after was pronounced dead." She wanted to make it clear that no one was to blame. The horse had not suffered, according to KC Branscomb. The death had nothing to do with Jill Humphrey's strenuous and spectacular performance.

"Tears of joy and tears of loss"
A full autopsy report is expected in the next few days. The breeder hopes "that what people take away from this freak accident and great tragedy is that it was a night of tears - tears of joy and tears of loss. Let's remember him as he lived and not as he died."