Sudden death of young horse. Looking for answers.

I'm so sorry, I don't know what could've happened but I understand how you're feeling. I lost my mare unexpectedly to a presumed guttural pouch infection and after we spent hours with her on an IV (after she was found laying out in the pasture), and a constant nose bleed, she just started swaying and toppled over before dying a couple minutes later. If your experience was anything like mine, it's truly a traumatizing way to lose a horse and I still haven't come to terms with it... so I hope knowing that you gave her a great life comforts you even slightly.

ETA: I also want to add that the day before she died, we were just putting her back into a light workload and she was loving it. She was forward and it felt like she was enjoying herself. The only things that were off was that she was slightly girthy and that she didn't rub her head against my curry mitt like she always did, but we figured the girthiness was because she had a week off.

ETA 2: And during her last hours with me, she also had the completely blank look on her face. Her eyes were always so full of life, but it was almost like I didn't exist in the way that she didn't move her head or look around... only if the blood ran into her mouth before I could wipe it or if she was sneezing.

Sorry about your mare. I read your initial posts about her colic, and I never would have guessed it would turn out this way for you. Can you have the corn tested to see if that was the cause? If it was, the BO will likely want to avoid that stuff, even if the other horses aren't showing symptoms yet.

I am very sorry for your loss of your beloved horse, Lakota. At least you were there for her in the end as she left this world, to cross the rainbow bridge to the big paddock in the sky, where the is no pain.

Does anyone know if this moldy corn poisoning stuff (^^^^) is only in dried corn or can fresh corn have it as well? I mean obviously fresh corn can rot but you know what I mean.

My horse loves fresh corn on the cob.
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It's caused by a fusarium fungus (meaning it infects the corn while it's still in the field), so I imagine fresh corn would be a potential source as well.

Any cereal grain can be infected by fusarium. Oats are less susceptible than most cereals, but they can still be infected. There are different fusarium strains, but they all release toxins that can be dangerous for humans and livestock. Wet field conditions foster the disease.

Any grain destined for human consumption is tested.Certified seed is also tested (at least in Canada - would think it would be the same elsewhere). I would think that if you were sourcing your horse feed from a larger supplier, they would be testing as well. Certainly something to think about and ask about.

If you're sourcing your grain from a local farmer, and they don't do testing, you should try to find out if fusarium has been a problem that year. If fusarium levels have been high, farmers will be talking about it in the coffee shops (or online forums) as they bring their grain in to be tested. It was a problem in my part of the world this year, and the ag media and industry have been talking about it lots.

The corn my horse gets as a treat is from the grocery store. I imagine that the supermarket suppliers would test for that before sending things to be sold for human consumption? I think I may just stick wih carrots, apples and melons!
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I would hope they would. But I'm not entirely sure.

Corn's not the best for horses, anyway, even without that particular issue.

Oh so sorry to hear about your poor horse, BIG HUGS