A horse and rider struck a tree in Normandy, France, today during the endurance competition of the Alltech Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Alltech World Equestrian Games (WEG), resulting in the horse’s death.

Dorado, a 12-year-old Arabian gelding from Costa Rica, and his 37-year-old rider Claudia Romero Chacon ran head-on into a tree during the first loop of the endurance race, which took place near Sartilly. The accident occurred about 45 minutes into the ride, just 400 meters from the 14-km checkpoint, WEG representatives said.

Dorado suffered a head injury and died instantly, officials said, but further details were not immediately available. A necropsy will be performed, per FEI guidelines for such situations, the organization said.

A thorough investigation into the accident is underway, officials said, but WEG veterinarians could not provide further details until the investigation is further along, the FEI told The Horse

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