Pakistani eventing athlete Usman Khan has announced the sudden passing of the 13-year-old New Zealand Thoroughbred Azad Kashmir (previously named Here to Stay) on Sept. 17th in Melbourne, AUS, of a “severe heart attack,” according to the family. “I have buried the horse with an Olympic flag. I am in a state of shock,” Usman told Pakistan’s The News.
The horse was the centre of some political controversy over its name earlier in the year, which means ‘Free Kashmir,’ a disputed territory of Kashmir that is in Pakistan’s control.
Usman will now have to attempt to qualify another horse for the Olympics. “We are devastated. We don’t have a back-up horse,” Usman said. “Someone has to fund. Only if someone sees the bigger picture. This has never been about [me], this is about Pakistan reaching the Olympics. I have lost a teammate.”
Last year, at the Wallaby Hill in December, Usman and Azad Kashmir completed the CCI4*-L, finishing 13th and earning them Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MER) for Tokyo 2020 qualification. Usman became the first equestrian in Pakistan’s history to qualify for the Olympics.
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