Researchers at Texas A&M University (TAMU) in College Station, Texas, say they strongly suspect that the pesticide used on feed at nearby Carousel Acres was directly involved in the death of 27 horses. However, the reason for the extreme reaction to the chemical that the farm had used before is still unknown.

 “We did identify phosphine in the stomach cavities of three of the horses,” said Richard Adams, DVM, PhD, dean of TAMU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “And since that is the product of the pesticide that the stable was using, the logical conclusion is that it was the cause.”

Adams said that results of preliminary tests showed no evidence of anything wrong with the feed itself.

Full test results on the horses, their feed, and bedding are expected next week