In less than two minutes after the accident, a veterinarian examined the horse and pronounced him dead. A post-mortem examination was performed yesterday at the Kentucky State Diagnostic Laboratory.
Preliminary results show that the horse died of cardiac tamponade.
His aorta ruptured into his pericardial sac, meaning that the largest blood vessel carrying blood away from the heart ruptured into the sac around the heart. This caused the sac around the heart to be filled with blood and prevented the heart from effectively pumping blood. The pair went on to represent Canada at the 1997 European Open Championships in England last fall. The Canadian Equestrian Team and Canadian Equestrian Federation wish to express their heartfelt condolences to Yves Landry and his family on the loss of one of Canada's top equine athletes.