Teddy's Fund: Donate to Memorial Fund in Memory of Theodore O'Connor

Teddy, originally uploaded by J. Walker Photography.

The US Equestrian Federation has announced that a memorial fund has been launched to commemorate the affection we all had for Theodore O'Connor, a.k.a. "Teddy", the super-athletic sport pony lost in a tragic accident last week.

Donations will be used to fund the construction of a new cross-country obstacle for the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in memory of Teddy.

If you would like to contribute to this memorial, please do so by visiting https://www.usef.org/_auaiframes/disasterrelief/teddy/teddy.aspx.

Teddy was euthanized last week at international event rider Karen O'Connor's training farm in Virginia after a tragic and freak accident.

According to USEF's report, the pony was spooked while walking to the arena for a morning workout.

“Teddy got frightened and bolted. He slipped running back to the barn and suffered a severe laceration to his hind leg, severing the tendons and ligaments,” said the O’Connors in a statement to the press. “Dr. A Kent Allen was on the scene immediately, and it was determined after examination that the injuries were catastrophic. Everyone who knew Teddy is devastated."

Teddy had recently been named to the "short list" to represent the USA at the 2008 Olympics in China. He wa the reigning Pan Am Games gold medalist in eventing.

Karen O'Connor's husband, Olympic gold medalist David O'Connor, is the president of USEF.

Thanks to Joshua Walker for allowing me to blog this photo.

Surgery Survivor Horse Dies Competing on Cross-Country Course at New Jersey Event

In Memory of Tigger Too: 1991-2008, originally uploaded by Rock and Racehorses.

Tigger Too, owned by US Equestrian Federation President David O'Connor, died after a fall at the water jump on the cross-country course at the Jersey Fresh CCI*** at the New Jersey Horse Park yesterday. Tigger Too was ridden by Lauren Kieffer, according to the US Eventing Association. Kieffer was not injured.

USEA also reports that preliminary necropsy findings on Tigger Too, a seventeen-year-old gelding, showed that he passed away from an acute abdominal aortic rupture. Final necropsy results are pending.

From the archives: “Tigger Too was an interesting case,” Karen O'Connor said in a testimonial for the horse's successful use of the nutraceutical "Succeed". “This horse has had three colic surgeries and had much of its colon removed in the last one. All of this pressure of competition, training, shipping…it really takes its toll. Since his colic surgeries, Tigger Too has always been a poor doer. But with SUCCEED, the horse is really blossoming. He’s as big and beautiful as ever. And you can see the difference in his performance.”

David O'Connor has jumped Tigger Too without a bridle in his clinics.

The FEI investigative panel has been convened to review the facts surrounding the incident, and more information will be released once the investigation is through.

The three-day event was won by Amy Tryon.

Photo: Lauren and Tigger Too galloping off into cross-country yesterday, before the fall. Photo kindly loaned by Sarah K. Andrew, a.k.a. "Rock and Racehorses", who happened to be there and has some nice photos of Tigger Too in the last minutes of his life. Click on the link under the photo to see more photos.

International Eventing Kicks On Toward Badminton This Weekend in Wake of Rolex-Kentucky Tragedies

Jump, originally uploaded by billybofh.

If you are interested in the crisis level of human and horse fatalities in the sport of eventing lately, you might like to follow a few of these links for more information.

The US News and World Report blog by Bonnie Erbe has lots of interesting comments here.

A joint letter to the public from USEF President David O'Connor and US Eventing President Kevin Baumgardner was published today and can be read here.

Meanwhile, in England tonight the horse vans are rolling onto the Badminton estate in Gloucestershire where the horses will be going through the first vet check tomorrow for the world's greatest three-day event, the Badminton Horse Trials. Two horses died there last year.

I guess that's the way to keep score in eventing, of late.