Polo ponies die at Florida tournament

In front of a stunned, hushed crowd at International Polo Club Palm Beach in Florida, veterinarians tried feverishly to save 14 expensive polo ponies from death before the featured game of the United States Open polo tournament.

The horses, worth as much as US$1 million ($1.7 million) each, on the Venezuelan-based Lechuza Caracas team died before their scheduled game. Three other horses are being treated. When the horses started getting sick and collapsing about 45 minutes before game time, stadium officials said the match was cancelled.

Several sources said the horses had a reaction to a steroid derivative that may have been tainted with a cleaning solution. The shots apparently were administered by an Argentine vet, not licensed in the US.