'Unimaginable loss': Horses killed on B.C. highway while travelling to championship
Four horses were travelling from across Western Canada to compete in the Equestrian Canada National Dressage West championship in Langley. Three were killed in a crash, and another was injured.
Police say the driver hit a rock wall on Highway 1 in southeast B.C.; 3 horses killed and 1 injured in crash
Alanna Kelly · CBC News
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The Canadian equestrian community is mourning the death of three horses after a collision in B.C.
The horses were travelling from Manitoba and Alberta to Langley on Monday, to compete in the 2026 Equestrian Canada National Dressage West championship at the Thunderbird Show Park.
At 8:45 a.m. local time on Oct. 6, officers with the B.C. Highway Patrol responded to a single-vehicle crash roughly 40 kilometres east of Revelstoke on Highway 1.
The driver was towing a trailer with four horses when she lost control and collided with a rock wall, according to Sgt. Michael McLaughlin.
Three horses died, and the fourth horse was injured.
Kate Wall seen with Rosaria, a dressage horse that died during a single vehicle collision on Highway 1 in B.C. on Oct. 6, 2026. (Shealynn Choy/S.C.apturing The Moment Photography)
Paramedics with B.C. Emergency Health Services responded to the crash with an ambulance.
"Paramedics provided emergency medical care to one patient, who was transported to hospital in stable condition," said BCEHS paramedic public information officer Brian Twaites.
Police said the driver was a 73-year-old woman from Langdon, Alta.
"The driver was issued a violation ticket for failing to keep right under the [B.C.] Motor Vehicle Act, which comes with a fine of $109," McLaughlin said.
Condolences from all over Canada are pouring in for the horses and those who knew them.
'My heart is completely shattered'
Mackenzie Abbott is a dressage rider and head trainer from Headingley, Man. She said two of the horses were ones she trained, and they were owned by Solace Stables.
"We have suffered an unimaginable loss and lost our beloved horses," Abbott said. "I loved my horses more than I could ever explain. My heart is completely shattered."
The two horses, named Fearless and Rosaria, were set to compete in Langley starting on Oct. 9.
Highway 1 near the Illecillewaet Brake Check, roughly near where the collision occurred on Oct. 6, 2026, east of Canyon Hot Springs and Revelstoke. Four horses were in the trailer and three died. (DriveBC)
"They were the top of their fields in our sport here in Manitoba, and we were looking forward to proving their capabilities to Canada," Abbott said.
The two horses were being transported with a driver, and Abbott had flown to Abbotsford to meet them at the competition. When she landed, she received a phone call about the crash.
"We all fundraised to get there," Abbott said. "We are just devastated to lose our best friends in the most tragic way."
The competition was being organized by Equestrian Canada, and is a major national event where athletes and their horses travel to the West Coast to compete.
It is common in the sport for athletes and owners to hire commercial drivers to transport the horses to the events.
In a statement, Equestrian Canada said it has reached out to the athletes and owners involved and extended mental health support.
"Our equestrian community functions as a close-knit family, and a sudden loss of this magnitude is felt deeply by every rider, coach, groom, and owner across the country," reads the statement
"[Equestrian Canada] extends its heartfelt sympathies to the riders, owners, families, and the entire support team surrounding these beloved horses."
James Hood, the chief of staff with Equestrian Canada, said they are organizing a fundraiser at the event to support the people impacted.
"I encourage our athletes, our coaches and our grooms and owners to lean on each other in this time of loss ... because it is a trying time and we will get through this," Hood said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alanna Kelly is a CBC News journalist based in Squamish, B.C., covering the Sea-to-Sky region, including Whistler, Pemberton and the Sunshine Coast. You can email story ideas to alanna.kelly@cbc.ca.
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