THE final report following the autopsy on Chromatic BF, the American horse who died at the FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Riyadh in April, states that the horse ‘died of pulmonary haemorrhages and oedema’, which it says ‘could be attributed to multiple causes’.

KC Branscomb, who bred and owned the gelding, disagrees with the US Equestrian Federation on what caused the fatal pulmonary haemorrhaging. Branscomb believes her horse died due to anaphylactic shock induced by an intravenous injection of Selevit, Legend, Adequan and arnica, administered by USEF team veterinarian Dr Diego Ulibarri MVZ, minutes before the horse began seizing and collapsed, whereas USEF officials say that strenuous exercise brought on the pulmonary haemorrhage.

About two hours before he died, 13-year-old Chromatic had jumped in the second round of the World Cup Final and placed third with American rider, Jill Humphrey.

According to Branscomb, “it was at least an hour and a half between the end of competition and the horse’s death and the horse wasn’t showing signs of distress in the interim”. She believes it much more likely that the injection administered minutes before the horse’s collapse led to his death; she was upset to see the list of medications present in his blood and angry these hadn’t been disclosed.

USEF has stopped administering Selevit to team horses as a matter of course since Chromatic’s death and Branscomb said that, following Chromatic’s death, Ulibarri submitted a proposal to the FEI that would ban IV Selevit.

Branscomb is now considering legal action against the USEF.