"Due to this sad situation, Team Chile will not be able to use this place in the eventing competition at Paris 2024. The tandem made up of this pair will be considered qualified. We deeply regret the death of Edén and support Jaime Bittner in this painful moment," said the Chilean National Olympic Committee.

It was the Chilean Equestrian Federation that informed the Olympic Committee of the incident. As well as lamenting the loss of the animal, the committee also said that Jaime Bittner would not be able to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as the qualification always includes the horse and rider pair. This means that Chile loses one of the places it had secured with Bittner's participation.

Jaime Bittner, a captain and rider in the Chilean Army, is a student at the School of Equestrian Sport. He qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after winning the eventing competition held at the San Isidro military base in Quillota.

The officer, who is the reigning national champion in equestrianism, was set to compete in the event to be held between July and August next year in France, alongside his mare Edén, who would have undergone training in dressage, endurance, and jumping to reach optimal condition.

In parallel, besides being a high-performance athlete, the officer serves as the Commander of the Cadet Unit at the School of Equestrianism.

Bittner is a captain in the Chilean army. He secured his place at the Olympic Games last December after successfully completing the three equestrian disciplines. The first was dressage. Dressage is a test of obedience and elegance. The second day was a six-kilometre timed course with obstacles, and the third day was devoted to show jumping.

Bittner won the national eventing championship and Paris 2024 would have been his first Olympic Games. He had been a horse rider since the age of nine, and at the age of 35, he had achieved his ultimate goal: to represent his country at the Olympic Games.

Since 2019, Bittner has been riding Edén, as reported by the emol.deportes portal. His first successes, such as the national championship and medals at the Pan American Games, were due to the animal's character and perseverance. However, the tandem's dreams have been at the mercy of fate.