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Toronto Police Mourn Death of Horse

Posted By: Dave Bradley · 11/7/2012 1:52:00 PM

Royal Sun, the horse in the Toronto Police's Mounted Unit, has died,

The horse was on patrol in the Entertainment District early Sunday morning around 2 o'clock when he tore a ligament in his hind, causing his weight to displace and severely fracturing his leg.

Royal, as he was called, was put down shortly after at an equine hospital.

The horse was in part of the Police Service for the last 12 years

Royal Sun was 16 years old.

The horse was named after the Royal Winter Fair and the media sponsor, the Toronto Sun who donated the horse in 2000.

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  1. rhonda collins posted on 11/07/2012 02:50 PM
    A very sad day for all of us, but a special thought to his partner... as well as all of his police family.
    Royal was a big presence for all of us in Parkdale and his passing hurts so deeply!
    God bless.
  2. shari lariviere posted on 11/07/2012 03:47 PM
    awww, such a sad story about this big, brave, courageous boy, and his partner! RIP Royal Sun .. be proud of all you have done .. my thoughts are with you, and your rider. Must be a very hard and difficult time for your stable mates and your human buddies. You will not be forgotten. :(
  3. Janet Marshall posted on 11/07/2012 05:16 PM
    Such a sad story and I'm sure a huge loss for his partner. R.I.P. precious Royal Sun. I'm sure everyone you had contact with will miss you terribly.
  4. Nancy Gidge posted on 11/07/2012 09:08 PM
    R.I.P. brave soldier :(
  5. ctwr9-11 posted on 11/08/2012 04:02 AM
    This is such sad news. What saddens me even more is the fact that police and others KILL horses when they break a leg, rather than giving it veterinary care and allowing the animal's leg to heal. If Royal Sun was unable to resume his equine police duties, at least he deserved to "retire" to green pastures somewhere, in appreciation of his lengthy service. This was just the wrong thing to do. What happens next? Butchered for horsemeat, like so many thousands of previously valued racehorses???
    1. steven posted on 11/08/2012 08:01 AM
      @ctwr9-11 Please look into the actual events before posting what you think is
      what happened. Every effort was most likely made to keep Royal alive.
      You can actually request to see what occurred and will be more informed
      instead of posting with just pure emotion, which I am sure has something
      more to do with the actual Police Service then with Royal. Do you really think that Owners of horses that cost over 500 k would not make every effort to save their horse. Spend a summer a Woodbine and see the realities of how a broken leg or torn ligament effect a horse.
    2. Blue posted on 11/08/2012 08:27 AM
      @ctwr9-11 Okay you obviously aren't a horse person. A horse of that size and weight would not be a good candidate for healing a broken leg. If you have ever met a horse with any kind of severe leg injury(or any horse. PERIOD.)...you would know that healing a leg break on a HORSE is not an easy task for the vet OR the horse. Try telling a horse he can't put weight on that leg for the duration of healing. It is not to be taken lightly. I am sure they did what they could, and made the decision in the best interest of the animal.
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