Two horses die during 2024 Tevis Cup in Northern California

(FOX40.COM) — On Saturday hundreds of horse and rider pairings from across the country made their way to Northern California for the Tevis Cup, but two horses lost their lives in the 100 mile race .

The one-day 100-mile ride traverses the Western States Trail between Robbie Point in the Sierra Nevada to the Auburn Fairgrounds.

After 50 miles of riding Max Merlich’s horse Laylas Knightly Getway fell from the trail in the Swinging Bridge Canyon near Devil’s Thumb.

The other horse to die was MV Im Hot N Bothered (“Phoenix”) ridden by Caroline DeBourbon on the California Loop about 25 miles from the finish line.

“Specially trained large animal rescue teams on call for the event were dispatched to both locations as rapidly as possible. The teams were accompanied by emergency veterinarians. Neither horse was recoverable and both were euthanized in place in accordance with their owner’s wishes,” the Western States Trail Foundation wrote in a social media post.

The Western States Trail Foundation said they will launch a full review to understand what caused the deaths despite neither owner reportedly not placing fault on the trail or event.

“However, it must be acknowledged the historic Western States Trail includes very precipitous sections which cannot be fully mitigated and – combined with unfortunate equine reactions – have the potential to result in tragedy,” the Western States Trail Foundation continued.

In 2022, two horses died during the Tevis Cup race including horse Steel who also fell in the Swinging Bridge area.

After the 2022 incidents, the foundation’s Board of Governors said they would focus on improving safety in dangerous areas of the trail between Last Chance and Francisco’s checkpoints.

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