Vitamin Supplement Eyed in Polo Horse Deaths

WELLINGTON, Fla.—The deaths of 21 horses from Venezuela's Lechuza Caracas team at the U.S. Polo Championships, held in this town outside of Ft. Lauderdale, have been blamed on vitamin injections given each of the horses during match preparations April 19. Officials have said the cause of death is being investigated and could be an adverse reaction from drugs or toxins in food or supplements given the animals.

The Miami Herald reported veterinarians close to the investigation have reported the horses appeared to die from heart failure due to an unknown toxin. However, the team's captain, Juan Martin Nero, whole-heartedly believes the deaths were related to pre-match injections of Biodyl, a French-made blend of vitamin B, selenium and chromium. In fact, he noted all 21 dead horses had been given this injection, while the only horses on the team that avoided health issues were not given the injections.

Biodyl is used widely in Europe, but there are reports the product is not approved for sale or use in the United States. Lechuza Caracas and its captain firmly believe there was some error in the manufacturing of the product, noting the mix of common vitamins is a customary treatment to help horses overcome exhaustion.

Officials haven't ruled out such quality control issues, in addition to foul play or other sources of toxins. They said it could be weeks before the necropsies, like human autopsies, performed on the horses might reveal any answers.