Rugged Riding Game Unlike Snooty Polo

(NEWSER) - Exactly what killed 21 polo horses in Florida is not known, but details of their enigmatic owner are emerging in spades. Victor Vargas has succeeded at the tricky proposition of banking in Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, and tried the US market—with less-than-stellar results. In 1993, he had to settle with the Fed for $1.5 million, and can’t invest here without government permission. Time takes a look at the secretive multimillionaire. More»

21 animals lost in mystery affliction

(NEWSER) - The death of 21 horses in Florida for the US Open Polo Championship yesterday remains a mystery, but a veterinarian for the Venezuelan team that owned the horses said it was unlikely they were killed by a bad reaction to steroids, the Palm Beach Post reports. "Almost certainly they don't use anabolic steroids," he said. “I’ve been in practice 50 years. I’ve never seen anything like this.” Necropsy results could come as soon as today. More»

Buzkashi draws sponsors in post-Taliban economy

(NEWSER) - Not even the Taliban managed to kill it, and now buzkashi, the national sport of Afghanistan, is thriving again, attracting corporate sponsors and emboldening its boosters to contact Olympics officials, with the ambition of building an international following. Did we mention it’s a virtually rule-less polo-like game played by men on horseback fighting over a goat or calf carcass? More»

Selenium overdose likely claimed animals' lives

(AP) - Florida officials say a mineral overdose is the probable cause of death for 21 Venezuelan-owned polo horses that fell ill as they prepared for a championship match earlier this month. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said today the animals likely overdosed on selenium, a common mineral that can be toxic in high doses. More»

(NEWSER) - The Florida pharmacy that prepared vitamin supplements for the 21 polo horses that died last weekend has admitted that the mixture was faulty, the Palm Beach Post reports. Franck’s Pharmacy in Tallahassee said today that the level of one ingredient in the supplement—which the polo team says was Biodyl—was incorrect. The druggist said it is cooperating “fully with the authorities as they continue their investigations.” More»