SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A San Diego Humane Society investigation into the death of a horse involved in January's rodeo at Petco Park has resulted in a determination that there were no legal violations nor probable cause for criminal charges against the horse's owner or rodeo organizers, officials said Thursday.
The mare died shortly after competing in a saddle bronc event on Jan. 11. Though the horse showed no visible signs of physical injury, it began shaking 15 minutes after the event and later collapsed and died.
The Humane Society said that during its investigation into the death, a necropsy revealed the horse was pregnant and died from a ruptured uterine artery. The Humane Society described the condition as a potentially fatal one that "may occur spontaneously."
As such, the death was found to be "accidental and unforeseen" as the Humane Society's law enforcement arm "cannot prove definitively whether the horse's participation in the rodeo directly contributed to her death or that anyone had knowledge that she was more pregnant than the assumed eight months based on the horse owner's breeding schedule."
The horse's foal also did not survive.
Despite the findings, the Humane Society said it continues to oppose rodeos "due to the inherent risks they pose and the fear, anxiety and stress they cause to animals. This tragic incident, combined with the serious injury of another horse after last year's rodeo, underscores the dangers of these events."
Bryan Pease, an attorney representing animal advocacy groups that have sued to block San Diego from hosting rodeos, called the Humane Society's report "whitewashed" due to its finding that the horse's ruptured artery occurred spontaneously and was not definitively connected to the rodeo event.
Pease said all the horses that took part in the saddle bronc event were restrained around their abdomens by bucking straps, "which forces the horse to buck wildly against the painful apparatus."
The attorney said, "Clearly, this is what caused the ruptured in an eight-month pregnant horse."
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