Latest from Horse & Hound in Electrocution

Accidental electrocution was cause of Newbury horse deaths

Horse & Hound — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:11:28 +0000

Accidental electrocution has been confirmed as the cause of death of two horses killed in the paddock at Newbury racecourse on Saturday (12 February).

The rescheduled race meeting — The Totesport Trophy Hurdle Meeting — will take place tomorrow (Friday 18 February).

Marching Song, trained by Andy Turnell and the Jonjo O’Neill trained Fenix Two both collapsed and died after suffering an electric shock in the parade ring before the first race.

Post mortem results from the horses, returned today (Thursday 17 February), show sudden cardiac arrest as the cause of death for both horses.

Investigations show an electrical discharge in the area killed the horses.

“The Authority has been officially informed that there was leakage of electricity from a cable under the parade ring in the area where the incident occurred,” said Professor Tim Morris, director of equine science and welfare at the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).

He added that samples taken from the horses affected showed “no evidence of substances” that could have caused the incident.

“These findings are all consistent with the cause of death being accidental electrocution and at this stage we are not investigating any other cause of death,” he said.

He also confirmed that the post mortems had shown no evidence of any burn marks around the horses’ mouths.

“There was immediate veterinary attention, and our enquiry on the day noted the racecourse veterinary surgeons felt a tingling sensation when examining the horses, and that the veterinary surgeons noted particular clinical signs such as muscle contractions,” he added.

An electric cable previously located within the parade ring has now been removed and disconnected. And Newbury racecourse and Southern Electric Power Distribution have assured the BHA that the area is safe to be used.

Stephen Higgins, joint managing director of Newbury racecourse added: “The investigation by Southern Electric Power Distribution continues, to establish the cause of the electrical leakage. I would like to stress again that Southern Electric has confirmed that there was no danger to the public on Saturday.

“Once again we would like to extend our condolences to the connections of those horses and will continue to liaise with those affected.”

A wider review is still ongoing and a report will be published at a later date.

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Two horses drop dead in parade ring at Newbury racecourse

Horse & Hound — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:37:45 +0000

Newbury racecourse cancelled racing on Saturday 12 February after two horses dropped dead in the parade ring before the first race of the day.

Fenix Two and Marching Song both collapsed and fell to the ground at the western end of the paddock. An investigation has been started following speculation that they may have been electrocuted.

The remaining runners made it down to the start, where they were checked by a vet before the novice hurdle race went ahead. Trainer Nicky Henderson withdrew his runner Kid Cassidy after his horse also behaved oddly in the parade ring.

Newbury stipendiary steward Paul Barton confirmed that a post-mortem will be carried out on the two horses that died.

Newbury chairman Christopher Spence told the BBC: “It’s a nightmare for everybody. We can’t be certain what it is, we all think it’s electric, but we don’t know.”

The decision to abandoned the meeting was made before the second race and all tickets are to be refunded.

Fenix Two was an unraced six-year-old owned by JP McManus, while five-year-old Marching Song had raced eight times including twice over hurdles.

Listen to interview with Stephen Higgins, Newbury racecourse managing director, talking about the incident

Show society fined after exhibitor electrocuted at show

Charlotte White — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:12:19 +0000

The organisers of a Herefordshire horse show have been fined £10,000 after an exhibitor was fatally electrocuted at the site in 2009.

Kington Show and Agricultural Society was also ordered to pay £15,523 in costs after admitting an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which resulted in a man’s death.

The case brought before Hereford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 12 January, by Herefordshire Council’s environmental health team followed an investigation into an incident on 11 September, 2009.

Edward Mervyn Allen, from Gloucestershire, died at the showground site, at Ovals Farm near Kington, when a silo he was carrying on a truck came into contact with high voltage power lines.

Mark Balysz, for the council, told the court that the organisers of the show failed in their duty to provide Mr Allen, an exhibitor at the show, with a safe pitch and had not considered the risk posed by the overhead power lines that cross the showground site.

Mr Allen arrived at the showground and he was shown to his pitch where he started to raise the silo he had on the back of his lorry to a vertical position.

Electricity arced towards the silo and he was fatally electrocuted.

Simon Morgan, representing the 120-year-old Kington Horse Show and Agricultural Society, said everyone involved with the show was devastated and expressed regret and remorse to Mr Allen’s family.

He said the show now employs a health and safety consultant and ensures nothing at all is parked underneath the cables.

Five horses electrocuted by ‘live’ water feeder

Charlotte White — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:50:26 +0000

Investigations are continuing as to how four ponies and a horse were electrocuted at a riding school in Sale, near Manchester.

Ponies Mason, Heston, Blue and Chuckles and a horse called Jerry were found dead at Ashton Hall Equestrian Centre on Sunday, 13 June.

Investigators from the local authority blame a faulty water feeder for the incident.

A Trafford Council spokesman said animal welfare officers and health and safety inspectors visited the riding school the next day.

“The first indications are that an electrical fault caused the accident,” she said, adding that the electricity supply to the barn had been turned off after the accident until repairs can be made.

RSPCA inspector Melissa Furey was called to the stables by a member of the public.

“There is nothing to suggest this is anything other than a tragic accident,” she said. “There were no marks on the horses and no signs of deliberate cruelty.”

H&H vet Karen Coumbe said: “Anecdotal evidence suggests horses are particularly sensitive to electric shocks because metal shoes conduct electricity, but also because they have four legs and a large heart.

“The electric current can run up a foreleg through the heart and down a hindleg. Thankfully, such cases are pretty rare.”

Tom Davin, who runs the riding stables, did not wish to discuss the incident.

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (24 June, ’10)

Network Rail rejects blame for horse electrocution

Amy Mathieson — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:18:44 +0000

Network Rail has dismissed claims that it was to blame for the death of a horse by refusing to switch off the electricity current on a railway.

A six-month-old cob called Husher was electrocuted after falling on to the track between Aldershot and Farnham in Hampshire on 28 September.

Local papers the Aldershot Mail and Star Courier reported that the driver and guard of the 6.06pm train from Aldershot to Alton had made repeated calls for the power to be cut off which they allege Network Rail managers ignored.

But a Network Rail spokesman told H&H: “The allegations that we didn’t act on requests from the train driver are untrue.

“We have reviewed the recorded conversations between the driver and the signaller and the only request to turn off the power was when the horse had already fallen onto the tracks and died.

“At no stage prior to that did we receive a call.”

For more on this, see the current issue of Horse & Hound (16 October 2008).

Contractors not prosecuted after horse was electrocuted

Horse & Hound — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:44:51 +0000

A rider whose horse was electrocuted by a damaged cable has spoken of her disgust that the company responsible have not been prosecuted.

Tina Brown was riding her horse Merlin on Station Road in East Ardsley, Yorkshire when he suddenly screamed and shot forward. She got off the horse to investigate and he collapsed onto the wet ground.

Ms Brown discovered he had been electrocuted when her friend received a shock from the horse while trying to remove his bridle.

Merlin collapsed on the ground and died two hours later.

Contractors CR Reynolds were working on the curbing on Station Road and had severed the electricity cable, but had not reported it.

Leeds Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are currently investigating the incident but CR Reynolds have not been prosecuted.

Ms Brown told H&H: “I think that they have got off very lightly. It’s an absolute disgrace.

“Merlin was lying on the ground and we couldn’t move him for two hours.

“If I had not dismounted to see what was wrong with the horse I would have been trapped under him when he collapsed and would have been in direct contact with the live ground too. It could have killed me.

“Apparently the voltage was not considered high enough to kill a human — yet it killed a horse.”

A spokesman for the HSE said: “The investigation has not yet concluded.

“But to prosecute there would need to be evidence that there was a breach in the law regarding duty of care and that people were at risk.

“The company have been served with an improvement notice — they must change their excavation and reporting procedures and failure to do so could result in prosecution.

“The fact the horse was wearing metal shoes may have had some bearing on the current and voltage.”

CR Reynolds declined to comment when contacted by H&H.

Horse electrocuted while out hacking in West Yorkshire

Horse & Hound — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:58:32 +0000

A horseowner is seeking legal advice after her horse was electrocuted and died while out riding in West Yorkshire.

Tina Brown and Merlin, 11, were riding along a wet verge on Station Road, East Ardsley, on 4 September when the horse suddenly shot forward.

“It felt like he had been shot,” Ms Brown told H&H. “He groaned and collapsed. It was awful.”

It was not until a friend arrived and tried to remove Merlin’s bridle that they realised he had been electrocuted.

Ms Brown said: “When she took off the bridle she touched the metal bit — and was thrown flat on her back by the current.”

The vet arrived after 20 minutes and sedated Merlin until engineers from Yorkshire Electricity Distribution arrived two hours later, hoping to save the horse by turning off the electricity supply.

“But by that time Merlin’s heart and brain would have been too damaged,” explained Ms Brown.

Roadworks were taking place in Station Road and it is thought that a damaged electrical cable had made the area live. It is also thought that Ms Brown was not affected by the current because she was wearing rubber boots.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire police said: “We were called to an incident where a horse appears to have died of electrocution. Leeds health and safety are investigating.”

A Leeds City Council spokesman said: “We are saddened to hear of this matter and are looking into it.”

Ms Brown has been told that no action can be taken until after the enquiry. But she is seeking legal redress using another case as a precedent.

Twenty-three years ago Caryl Davies from Pembroke Stud in Wales received compensation after her mare Glad Tidings was electrocuted in her field.

The mare survived, but was badly burned, and Ms Davies was awarded the horse’s worth in compensation.

Ms Brown said she too wants compensation : “My horse was electrocuted by somebody’s negligence and so we thought it best to speak to a solicitor.”

CE Electric, which owns Yorkshire Electricity Distribution, was unavailable for comment.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (18 September, ’08)