Icarus and Michael, photo via Samantha
In heartbreaking news, Michael and Nathalie Pollard’s horse Icarus was euthanized Saturday afternoon at the Rood and Riddle vet clinic in Lexington, Kentucky. Michael drove Icarus to Rood and Riddle on Saturday morning for surgery to attempt to repair severe injuries to his right hind fetlock joint and surrounding ligaments. The injuries were sustained in the Friday morning trailer accident that resulted in one horse dead an the scene and 5 injured, including Icarus. Dr. Chris Newton and his Rood and Riddle team did everything possible to save Icarus but his injuries were ultimately deemed too severe to make recovery possible and Icarus was humanely euthanized.
Michael told me “he was a member of the family. We will go on, but it won’t be the same in the barn without him.” Icarus “Fly” was a 14 year old OTTB who most recently competed at the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* event in April. Fly typified spirit and resilience in an event horse and he was the kind of horse who was deeply loved by everyone who came to know him. Fly’s career was marked by achievement and yet plagued by a streak of bad luck that should shame the proverbial eventing gods.
Fly got his competitive start at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, where he raced four times and won a total of $540 before finding his better discipline. He competed through preliminary with Jessica Stegall before Nathalie spotted him warming up for cross-country in 2004. Though he was initially Nathalie’s ride—Will Coleman also got a stint in the stirrups in 2007, piloting him to fourth in the Jersey Fresh CCI*** while both Pollards were busy with business—Michael took over to win both his and Fly’s first CCI*** at Jersey in 2009, just months after the birth of the Pollard’s son, Phineas.
Michael and Fly had an unlucky fall in the water at Burghley last year, but their 2012 season seemed to be looking up: Their names appeared on the Olympic Applicant list, and they won an advanced division at Pine Top before placing seventh at The Fork CIC***. They were seventh after dressage and 19th after cross-country before withdrawing prior to show jumping at Rolex.
“Michael is another one of those riders who has everything going for him, however, Lady Luck has yet to smile on him at the upper levels. Michael’s rainbow is overdue,” Jim Wofford wrote in the Chronicle’s Rolex edition this year.
Our sport is much the better for having Fly a part of it and it’s going to take a long time to get over having Fly taken from us so suddenly and tragically. Eventing Nation’s thoughts and prayers reach out to Michael, Nathalie, the entire Pollard Eventing team, and all of their connections. Go Fly.
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Update 10:54am: The Pollards sent out a press release this morning with some touching comments about Fly, reading in part:
“…Despite every effort by Dr. Chris Newton and his team, the extent of injuries presented no other option but to save the horse from further pain. Michael Pollard was with Icarus having driven the horse to Lexington.
Michael commented: “He was the best horse in the world who just never quite made it – mostly my fault, and certainly not his. He brought me out of relative obscurity. He was just a special soul and everyone that worked with him felt the same. He was a family member and it will not be the same without him in the barn.”
Nathalie added, “My heart is really broken. I have loved this horse since the day I laid eyes on him 8 years ago at the Kentucky Horse Park. He was stunning, and radiated beauty from the inside out. He was an exceptional athlete who never once quit or let us down. He was a good man with a heart of gold. He was my friend, and his absence will be felt painfully for some time...” [Full Release]
Michael has posted the following on the Pollard Eventing Facebook page: “Thank you for all of the support. It helps all of us to move on. I am trying to regain my bearings and it is certainly nice to know people care. Hopefully we can turn this into something positive, but these guys will be sorely missed. Thank you again: Michael“
