An investigation by the San Diego Humane Society 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.
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.
SDHS said that during its investigation into the death, a necropsy revealed the horse was pregnant and died from a ruptured uterine artery. The organization described the condition as a potentially fatal one that may occur spontaneously.
“After conducting multiple interviews, collecting witness statements and expert opinions, it was determined that no laws were violated and there is no probable cause for criminal charges against horse owner, or the San Diego rodeo organizers,” SDHS said in a statement.
“San Diego Humane Society’s Humane Law Enforcement 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 appeared very well maintained and provided for and her death appears to have been accidental and unforeseen.”
The horse’s foal also did not survive.
Despite the findings, the Humane Society said it continues to firmly oppose rodeos “due to the inherent risks they pose and the fear, anxiety and stress they cause to animals,” the organization said.
“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 rupture in an eight-month pregnant horse.”
City News Service contributed to this report.
