Ridecamp: [RC] WEG 2002- Floyd

The following is the story of the circumstances of the death of one of the
horses, Floyd, at the 2002 WEC. The same letter was sent to Michael Stone of
the FEI:

-----------------
>From: "Steph Teeter" <steph@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
>Dear Dr. Isahak,
>
>Your account of the death of Floyd is very heart felt - I'm sorry that this
happened. If you would like to have this account published in some form on
Endurance Net, or on Ridecamp, I would be happy to do so for you. This is
the only first-hand account anyone has sent regarding the incident, and
though both the riders and the FEI are being judged in this matter, there is
always room for personal accounts. This may answer questions that some have
about the incident, and surely demonstrates that you care very much.
>
>Steph Teeter
>www.endurance.net

-----Original Message-----
Dear Steph,
Certainly I do not mind you posting it on net.Thanks

Yours sincerely,
Dr. Nik Isahak
-----------------
=================


>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Nik Isahak Abdullah [mailto:drnikisahak@xxxxxxxxxxx]
>Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 11:58 PM
>To: johnt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Fwd: Floyd -WEG 2002-
>
>
>Dear Mr.Teeter,
>For several years now I have been an avid follower of ridecamp looking for
>the very occasional pearls and gem but since the demise of Floyd at the
>recent WEG I must concede that I have avoided ridecamp until today.It was
>like an ostrich keeping its head under the sand I must say but after the
>bad
>press in France and Spain I did not have an alternative.Any death of a
>horse
>in endurance is bad.Any death at WEG level is disastrous for everybody
>especially the rider as in the words of your Dane Frazier DVM,the rider is
>invariably to be blamed.
>So reading through your balanced view dated 17th sept was a breath of fresh
>air.
>
>Floyd was an experienced 11 year old having completed manyraces in France
>the last one was the gruelling 100kmtimes 2day event in Exmoor ,U.K under
>blizard condition.I enter endurance quite late in my life at 46  but had
>competed in WEC1998 in Dubai and had a couple of rides inFrance and
>Australia not to mention many rides  locally in Malaysia.Yes,in the WEG I
>was riding mid pack  behind Rojek and the ever familiar Tarik Taher of
>Saudi
>Arabia.We were all not speed fiends!
>
>Do read my letter to Mr Michael Stone and make your own judgement.One
>correction though,My average speed for the 1st and 2nd phases werwe 15kph
>andnot 13 and 11 respectively.
>
>Yours Sincerely
>
>Dr. Nik Isahak
>

>
> >From: "Nik Isahak Abdullah" <drnikisahak@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> >To: m.stone@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >Subject: Floyd -WEG 2002-
> >Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 11:32:13 +0800
> >
> >
> >Mr. Michael Stone,
> >Asst. Secretary General,
> >Federation Equestrian Internationale.
> >
> >------
> >
> >Dear Mr. Stone,
> >
> >Further to our short telephone conversation at 11:45 pm on 19/9/02 on the
> >demise of Floyd, a French based horse leased to me for the WEG 2002
> >Endurance Competition, herewith is my report from my perspective for your
> >kind perusal.
> >
> >I first rode Floyd along with Madame Claude Deriaz, the owner, for
> >familiarization in Chantilly, Paris on the 6th of Sept. and we together
> >made the long, slow but careful journey to Jerez over four days to ensure
>a
> >safe and sound horse at the end of the day; stabling Floyd in appropriate
> >stables in the evenings, along the way. The pre-race vet check on the
>15th
> >of Sept. was deemed very satisfactory.
> >
> >As I was quite unfamiliar with Floyd and 160 km was also unfamiliar
> >territory for me; I rode Floyd with the owner's direction and advice with
> >regard to pace, given to me at all crew points all along the way in the
> >competition.
> >
> >The first leg was done at a conservative 13kph and Floyd was vetted in
>with
> >good cardiovascular and musculoskeletal parameters. The second leg was
>done
> >at just slightly above 10kph according to the owner's direction and
>advice,
> >and the second vet check required a re-presentation due to decreased gut
> >sound.
> >
> >The third leg was done at around 9-10kph average speed in view of the
> >decreased gut sound. In the mid third leg, I was told by the owners/crew
> >that the gut sound had normalised and was adviced to increase the pace to
>a
> >faster trot. It was trot all the way and no gallop/canter in the whole of
> >the third leg. The vet check after the third leg also required a
> >re-presentation due to a "suspicious gait". Floyd was passed with no
> >comment from the vet at re-presentation.
> >
> >In the fourth leg, due to the suspicious gait anamoly, I merely walked
>with
> >occasional trot. At the second crew point, we stopped for over 10
>minutes;
> >Floyd drank copiously and managed to pee. According to the owners, Floyd
> >looked good and I was adviced to go faster, and was given a whip.
>However,
> >I maintained a slow pace of alternative walk and trot beyond the second
> >crew point because my gut feeling was Floyd was getting tired. He was
>less
> >spontaneous in his movements and needed a lot of prompting.
> >
> >When we reached the long hilly portion of the fourth leg ( I reckoned
> >almost midway in the fourth leg), I dismounted entirely as Floyd in my
> >estimation was tachypneic (breathing heavily) and not responding well to
> >prompting with the leg. I pulled him all along the hilly trail for 1.5
>km.
> >After 1.5 km, I noticed he was refusing to be pulled and was getting
> >unsteady and stumbling a lot. In fact, in retrospect, I could sense he
>was
> >having 'synchronous diaphagramatic flutter'. In my mind, my race and
> >Floyd's race was over and he was in deep trouble. I phoned the owners to
> >tell that I needed help and I phoned the Malaysian Chief de Equip next,
> >asking him to get vet help and horse ambulance to come.
> >
> >It was around 6:30 to 7:00 pm on the hill and it was fast getting dark
>and
> >cold. I managed to pull the horse slowly forward down the hilly trail
> >hoping to reach the next waterpoint where help could be obtained readily.
> >At around 7:00 pm, I was relieved when an official looking Volvo car
> >bearing WEG insignia arrived as it was already quite dark and cold;
> >believing that this was the help and the vet team I called for, I handed
> >over Floyd for their care.
> >
> >Around 20 minutes later, I was amazed to find that Floyd was bleeding
>from
> >a superficial laceration from the left ear and it suddenly dawned upon me
> >that the official-looking Volvo car was not the Vet, because despite the
> >help that was rendered by these group of officials, there was no IVs to
>be
> >seen. Overall, I estimated that Floyd could not have lost more than 300cc
> >of blood. By this time, he was already lying on the ground.
> >
> >Around 8:30 pm, another official-looking Volvo came, and this time
>carrying
> >2 actual Vets who started the IVs and resuscitation. At around 9-9:30 pm,
> >the horse ambulance arrived and Floyd was transferred to Galipolis Vet
> >Hospital.
> >
> >I'm a practicing consulting cardiologist in Kuala Lumpur and am a great
> >believer in the use of heart rate monitors in all competitions, and never
> >ever compete without one. Floyd's cardiovascular parameters for the whole
> >entire competition never exceeded 150 bpm beyond which blood lactic acid
> >accumulation occur, which could cause undue fatigue and metabolic
>problem.
> >
> >In the fourth leg, due to alternate long walk and short slow trot, the
> >parameters never even exceeded 125 bpm at any time. So the metabolic
>crisis
> >in Floyd baffled me, and it baffled the owners as well, who are fine
>judges
> >of their own horse. But metabolic crisis Floyd had, well before the
> >unfortunate blood-letting incident by the first official crews that I
> >mistook for the Vet team.
> >
> >I hope this report would clear the confusion surrounding the demise of
> >Floyd, a great horse that defies and camouflage symptoms & signs of
> >metabolic crisis, right up to the end to satisfy human frailties and
>men's
> >frivolous pursuit.
> >
> >A warning and reminder from our equine friend to all of us in this great
> >and enduring sport that we need to improve further the science and art of
> >detection and anticipation of horses in trouble.
> >
> >Thank you.
> >
> >
> >Yours sincerely,
> >
> >Dr. Nik Isahak Wan Abdullah
> >
> >
> >
>
>


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