Deceased Show Jumper Hickstead Honored with Statue

Hickstead collapsed and died last year in a Verona, Italy, jumping ring due to an aortic rupture.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Nearly a year after he collapsed and died in a Verona, Italy, show ring following an impressive jumping round, Olympic champion steed Hickstead has been honored with a statue and tribute ceremony in his home country of Canada.

The nearly 10-foot tall bronze statue was unveiled by Hickstead’s long-time rider Eric Lamaze on Sunday (Sept. 9) during the weekend’s CSIO5* Master’s Tournament at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta.

"Every once and again we are treated to magic, to excellence, to a glance of greatness. And that is what we saw with Hickstead and Eric," said fellow Canadian and Olympic medalist Ian Millar during a tributary documentary film aired during the ceremony. The event, held in the International Ring, included Hickstead and Lamaze’s induction into the Spruce Meadows Hall of Fame.

Through a necropsy, veterinarians determined that Hickstead’s sudden death was caused by an aortic rupture. Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) veterinary director Graeme Cooke, MA, VetMB, MRCVS, explained that this kind of "tragedy" could happen to any horse and does not reflect poor management. The 15-year-old KWPN stallion, like the vast majority of FEI-level horses, was extremely well cared for and regularly monitored for good health, he said

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
299 votes · 299 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!