Yesterday, the Australian equestrian magazine The Horse Magazine falsely reported that Brett Parbery's Victory Salute had passed away. The unverified news spread like wildfire on Facebook but was nipped in the bud by Brett Parbery himself who reported his horse is still alive.
Owned by Carolyn Lieutenant and trained and competed by Brett Parbery, Victory Salute was the Australian star horse of 2010 making it to the Kur to Music finals at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. The bay gelding has recently been suffering from acute laminitis. The condition is being treated and the horse certainly has not died.
"Last night I was shocked to learn via Facebook that we had put Victory Salute down. As most people know, Sam is not well and has a very severe case of acute laminitis, with the cause suspected but not confirmed," Parbery explained. "Firstly, I will confirm that he is still alive and today I spent the whole day working with vets to give him some comfort. Our challenges have only just begun as to this point things have spiralled out of control. I finally feel like we have a good understanding of the disease and the process to try and correct it. Whether or not nature allows us to intervene, we will have to wait and see."
Parbery added that he has no ill feeling towards The Horse Magazine for not checking their sources. "We are close friends of The Horse Magazine and they felt that they did not want to disturb us in the midst of such a crisis. Their source of the information was reputable and we appreciate their thoughts to give us space. We also appreciate their efforts to swiftly correct the information broadcast and we are keeping them in close contact."
Victory Salute's competitive future looks very grim and Parbery is doing all to save his horse for paddock soundness. "Please keep praying for our Sam to heal to paddock soundness so that he can enjoy the retirement he so well deserved after his efforts of 2010."
Related Links
Eurodressage Photo Database: Victory Salute
Brett Parbery, Working Hard to Become a Better Rider
Brett Parbery Ready to Get on the Road to the 2012 London Olympics
Brett Parbery Escapes Disaster in Japan