Draft horse dies suddenly at Crapaud Exhibition
'From what I can see and having witnessed it there was nothing that we could have done'
A family from Nova Scotia is mourning the loss of one of their draft horses after he died suddenly following a competition Sunday in Prince Edward Island.
The horse was competing in the Crapaud Exhibition draft horse pull — which is a competition where teams of horses pull a weighted sled across a dirt track.
Sid Nickerson, who owned the horse, named Tom, said the day started like any other. He fed and watered his horses and got them ready for the competition.
Nickerson said it was the horse's first pull of the day, but he was no stranger to the sport. He said Tom performed well during the pull, hauling 8,000 lb. alongside his partner Buster, which Nickerson said is actually light when compared to the 12,000 lb. they've pulled in the past.
Nickerson said after the pull he unhitched the horses from the sled and Tom suddenly collapsed to the ground. He said in just a few minutes the horse was dead.
Tom Albrecht, a board member with the Crapaud Exhibition Association, was at the pull on Sunday and witnessed the incident. He said the death happened very suddenly.
"I think it's just a very unforeseen incident that couldn't be predicted, it happened, it's unfortunate," Albrecht said. "From what I can see and having witnessed it there was nothing that we could have done."
Horse appeared to be in good health
Nickerson said Tom appeared to be in good health on Sunday morning and added if he thought there was something wrong with the horse he wouldn't have put him in the competition. He said he consulted with two veterinarians after the competition and both told him the nine-year-old horse died from sudden heart failure.
Albrecht said he's never seen a horse collapse like Tom did at the exhibition.
"You know it was just a normal event, it was an unfortunate event to take place," Albrecht said. "Our heart goes out to those owners, you know of those horses, they're loved by them. It's just a very unfortunate incident — a rare incident — but I guess it happens sometimes."
Nickerson said Tom had competed in pulls for many years and didn't have any prior health issues. He said losing Tom is like losing a family member.