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Broke his back and had his hind legs virtually dislocated when he fell in the water jump at Sandown today.
As simple as the water jump may look, it really remains the obstacle that can cause the worst injuries to a horse. This is not a good picture for a sport that had some many negative news and loads of fatalities over the past 3-4 weeks.
Many trainers have called for a removal of the water jumps, yet no one seems to care.
Rest in peace Monsieur D’Arque, sadly another extremely painful death.
Completely agree, no need for them at all.
Article from 2008 with Jonjo O’Neill describing the fatal injury caused by these jumps which is exactly what happened today.
“It seems to me, the horse doesn’t know what he’s jumping until he’s taking off,” said O’Neill, “and then he has to stretch and puts extra strength into it, and that’s what leads to these broken backs. I lost a very good horse up at Ayr years ago, and another at Catterick. I’d fill ’em all in.”
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/mar/26/horseracing.sport
OMG! Poor poor horse … I was reading the comments about his last “dismal” run (after an absence) and then today he wasn’t apparently running well … and now he’s lost his life in an extremely horrible way … so distressing and sickening … I thought the few remaining water jumps had been altered ie had no lip on them like they used to have??
I totally agree.
I would rather see an open ditch in front of the stands at my nearest track Perth instead of the water jump.
I remember Lord Oaksey calling for them to be removed too, making exactly the same point about horses not being able to see what they’re jumping. Hard to see anyone making a case to keep them over the years and yet they persist.
Sorry to hear about this horrible incident. Agree that water jumps should go.
Also agree that a conventional fence in front of the stands is better than a water jump. One of the best examples is at Wexford, since they switched it around to be a left handed circuit. Now the last fence is right in front of the stands and makes for a great spectacle.
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