Three horses en route to Equestrian Canada event killed in B.C. highway crash

REVELSTOKE — Three horses being transported to an Equestrian Canada event in Langley, B.C., have been killed in a crash on Highway 1 in the British Columbia Interior.

Equestrian Canada said in a statement that four horses were being towed to the National Dressage and Para Dressage Championships.

The national federation said the horses were from Alberta and Manitoba and that the surviving animal was injured and is being treated by a veterinarian.

“Our equestrian community functions as a close-knit family, and a sudden loss of this magnitude is felt deeply by every rider, coach, groom and owner across the country,” the organization said in the statement issued on Wednesday.

It said mental health support has been extended to athletes and owners of the horses.

RCMP said the crash happened Tuesday about 40 kilometres east of Revelstoke, B.C., when the driver lost control of the vehicle.

Police said in a news release on Thursday that the vehicle hit a rock wall, although the driver, a 73-year-old woman from Alberta, wasn’t seriously hurt.

The BC Highway Patrol says in a statement that the woman was issued a $109 fine for failing to maintain her lane position and driving off the road to the right.

James Hood, high performance director with Equestrian Canada, said in a statement that a horse named Fearless, whose rider is Mackenzie Abbott, was killed.

Rosario, ridden by Kate Wall of Manitoba, was also killed, the statement said.

Both horses were owned by Lisa Paterson of Solace Stables.

The names, riders and owners of the other two horses haven’t been made public.

In a post on social media, Abbott, a Manitoba-based equestrian coach and dressage school owner, commented on the crash.

“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 in the message posted on her Facebook account.

She said the horses were being taken to Langley for the Canadian National Dressage Championships by transport truck when the crash happened.

Abbott, based in Headingley, Man., said that she is asking for prayers for the horse that survived, as the animal “will require recovery mentally and physically.”

“I loved my horses more than I could ever explain,” Abbott wrote. “My heart is completely shattered.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2026.

The Canadian Press