'It's a sad time. A horse is not just a tool for a sport, they are a best friend, an everything,' said Thunderbird Show Park CEO Chris Pack

Three dressage horses were killed in a crash on Tuesday while being transported to Thunderbird Show Park in Langley.

Thunderbird president and CEO Chris Pack said that four horses were being hauled to the facility by a third-party contractor to compete in the Equestrian Canada National Dressage West championship when the accident occurred.

“The trailer flipped over and three of them had to be put down. Like literally on the side of the road. It would have been terrible,” Pack said. “Then the fourth one had to be taken to a vet clinic. I don’t think it looks great for that one, but there might still be a chance it will survive.”

Pack said three of the horses were from Manitoba and one from Alberta.

“I know they were upper-level horses. One was a grand prix horse, which is the highest level,” he said. “It’s a sad time. A horse is not just a tool for a sport, they are a best friend, an everything.”

RCMP highway patrol Sgt. Michael McLaughlin said that the crash occurred on Highway 1, 40 kilometres east of Revelstoke, at around 8:45 a.m. He said the driver, a 73-year-old woman from Langdon, Alta., lost control of the vehicle and collided with a rock wall. One person was transported from the scene by ambulance.

Equestrian Canada spokesperson James Hood said the equestrian community is a close-knit family.

“A sudden loss of this magnitude is felt deeply by every rider, coach, groom and owner across the country. EC extends its heartfelt sympathies to the riders, owners, families and the entire support team surrounding these beloved horses,” Hood said.

According to a post on Facebook, one of the horses was from Solace Stables in Manitoba and trained by Mackenzie Abbott. Abbott had been fundraising to pay for transportation and other costs for Fearless, which died in the accident.

Two other horses — Rosaria, also from Manitoba — and Lino van het Heffelhof Z, or Clark, also died. Clark, a seven-year-old stallion, was the 2026 Alberta Dressage Association Champion. 

“He was a horse who was deeply loved by his people,” the Alberta Equestrian Federation said in a statement. “He had a big personality, loved bananas, enjoyed licking his human and horse friends, and was known for flattening his ears in the warm-up ring as if to say, ‘Outta my way, I am coming through!’

“Clark touched the lives of many throughout his career and will be remembered not only for his accomplishments, but for the joy, character and friendship he brought to those around him.”

The surviving horse is called Flirty.

“There are truly no words for what we are feeling right now. I don’t think I have even begun to comprehend that this is real,” Abbott wrote on Facebook. “I ask for prayers while we try to process what has happened and grieve this unimaginable loss, as well as prayers for Katherine’s horse Flirty who survived but will require recovery mentally and physically. I loved my horses more than I could ever explain. My heart is completely shattered.”

The Solace Stables website says Fearless was imported from New Zealand and is “the hardest working horse in the barn.”

Pack said that around 150 horses will be competing in the west championship that starts this Friday.