From TOB:

Theodore O'Connor Suffers Fatal Accident
The U.S. Equestrian Federation is devastated to report that Theodore O’Connor was humanely euthanized today, May 28, as a result of an injury sustained in an accident at Karen and David O’Connor’s barn in The Plains, Va.

The 13-year-old eventing super pony defied odds and gravity throughout his career. Standing only 14.1 hands, the Shetland-Arabian-Thoroughbred cross gelding was the reigning team and individual gold medalist from the 2007 Pan American Games and had top six finishes at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2007 and 2008. He was the 2007 USEF/Farnam Horse of the Year and recently had been named to the USEF Short List for Eventing for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Ridden by three-time Olympic veteran Karen O’Connor, ‘Teddy’ made friends and picked up fans everywhere he went. Seeing was believing with Teddy as it seemed impossible to imagine that a pony of his size could do his job with such tremendous ease.

Thoughts and prayers are with Karen and David, Teddy’s groom Max Corcoran, all of his owners in the Theodore O’Connor Syndicate and everyone associated with this remarkable pony.

To send thoughts to Teddy’s connections please email: Teddy@usef.org. The USEF will make sure your email gets to the intended recipients.

I just read about that on the news. :(

No words...

OMG, what awful news.

That pony was incredible. He will be missed.

How incredibly sad

That's just terrible.

horrible loss. I wonder how he was injured, im guessing on cross country...


editted to say this article tells how it happened...http://equisearch.com/equiwire_news/theodore_oconnor_euthanized_052808/

How incredibly horrible. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved with the wonderpony...

That's so sad. Teddy was such a good pony :(

Poor guy!

Scary how things like that just happen.

PanAm Gallery

Yes it very very sad

heres a link to an article about what happened

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=11967

Ugh I can't even stand this anymore.

ETA- I interviewed with VEI early in April for a Rider/Groom position. They are wonderful people and really care about other people's animals. I was there right around the first few deaths and they were really upset over the loss of one horse, unfortunately I don't remember which one it was right now.

I felt like I was going to cry when I saw those pictures. I hope the little Superpony is happy where ever he is now...

Oh my god. I was looking at those pictures and it's absolutely horrible. He really was amazing.

The crazy thing is that he wasn't even being ridden at the time, he just spooked. How crazy is it that when that horse spook and bolts it ends in death.

i read multiple articles saying that he was being ridden that karen and i think his name was max was out hacking she was on a different horse, and that he spooked, his rider (max? i think they said) dismounted or something of that sort and he went running off and then got injured

"He spooked at something while being ridden and bolted," described Allen. "The rider came off and the horse ran toward the barn. He got into a freak accident and slid into the side of the barn and lacerated his right hind leg about 4 inches above the fetlock on the back of the leg. It looked like a knife cut it; he severed the superficial and deep digital flexor tendons, ligaments, cut both branches of the arterial blood supply, and nerves." (http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=11967)

The article I read said he spooked while being ridden.

oh, just kidding then.

How sad! I don't even know what to say. What an awesome pony, who will be very sadly missed.

He was by far one of the most BA ponies that ever lived.

Max, a woman not a guy, who's the O'Connor's long time groom was hacking Ted out. Karen was riding another horse. Teddy was being fresh so Karen told Max to get off and lead him back to the barn... when she got off he spooked and bolted, and slipped as he ran into the barn, slicing his tendons/ligaments on the side of the barn as he fell and rupturing an artery.

RIP TEDDY YOU ARE THE BEST

wonder what part of the barn was sharp enough to slice his leg like that

There must be lots of rumors. Mine is that Karen was riding some other horse and got bucked off, at which point Max dismounted and Teddy bolted, attempted to jump a well house and sliced his tendons. Have no idea how true that is though. It is a bit third hand.

i kinda feel like... how did he slice his leg open on the barn? i kinda think it prolly happened under different circumstances than what was described in the article. just my thought

We have a safe barn yard, and we had a similar thing happen back in February with one of the racehorses, only thankfully not deep enough to actually sever the tendon. Terrible things find ways to occur, and even if that isn't the full story with Teddy, I don't see how it's any of our business.

If you hit something hard enough on a corner, it will slice. Anyway that is what happened, I talked to my trainer who talked directly to people at the OCET.

i read he got his foot caught in a crate by the barn and panicked.