Olympic Dressage Horse Suffers a Mysterious Allergic Reaction in Paris

One equestrian's Olympic dreams have come to an abrupt end due to a surprise medical emergency. Spain's Jose Daniel Martin Dockx was forced to withdraw his horse Malagueno LCXXXIII from the Paris games after the stallion suffered an allergic reaction. The multi-day illness took a toll on the horse, whose health status has not been updated since his departure from the games.

Here's everything we know about Malagueno's health, including who stepped in to take the pair's place as representatives for the country of Spain.

The Eurodressage blog carried the sad news out of Paris, which was announced on July 30, 2024. The blog explained how Dockx was forced to withdraw both himself and his horse from the games after days of illness. According to the blog, the trouble began during the first inspection of the games, when Malagueno appeared unwell during the initial pre-games checkup. From there, the horse's health continued to deteriorate until it became obvious that he would be unable to compete.

"Twenty-four hours before the (first) vet check he didn't want to eat or drink and woke up with his neck on his left side very swollen and sore," Dockx stated about Malagueno, per Eurodressage. The statement went on to explain how nobody was sure what exactly caused the change in the horse's health.

This news comes during a time when many are questioning the ethics of dressage, which is a type of riding that requires strict and often violent training to teach a horse to ignore their natural instincts in order to perform very meticulous moves in a high stress environment. In fact, Olympic dressage contender Charlotte Dujardin withdrew from the events after a video surfaced that appeared to show her abusing a horse during a training session.

This unfortunate health news meant the end of the road for the pair, who had competed many times together in the past, including in 2021 when the duo fell just short of qualifying for the Tokyo games. But that didn't slow the competitors down, and they rallied in 2022 at the World Championships in Herning, taking 23rd place and then later won in 2024 at the Spanish Grand Prix Championships.

"In agreement with the RFHE we have decided not to present Malagueno to the re-inspection," Dockx said in a statement.

"We were working very hard to try to get the inflammation down and all the discomfort it was causing but we didn't succeed," he continued, adding that they ultimately decided that the safest course of action would be to withdraw from the games. Now, Claudio Castilla Ruiz will compete while riding Lusitano Hi Rico do Sobral in Dockx and Malagueno's stead.

I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing Malagueno a quick recovery and hoping that whatever made him fall ill during the Olympics can be addressed and that any symptoms he felt from the reaction won't affect his long-term health.