Prior to the Olympics, Tina Cook's bay horse, Miners Frolic, suffered a life-threatening bout of colitis. The severity of the condition had the apparently delerious horse on an IV drip because of high levels of toxins in his blood.
Tina Cook and horse, Miners Frolic, at Olympics
Prior to the Olympics, Tina Cook's bay horse, Miners Frolic, suffered a life-threatening bout of colitis with high levels of toxins in his blood.
© 2012 by Henry Bucklow/Lazy Photography
Colitis in horses is a serious condition with clinical signs including sudden onset of severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, shock, and dehydration. Death is common, with 90% to 100% mortality, usually in less than 24 hours.
Cook agonized over the condition of the horse and prayed for his recovery after vets gave him a 50:50 chance of survival while being treated at Arundel Equine Hospital in Sussex where he spent a week in intensive care.
The horse, described by Cook as sensitive and "a bit of a worrier," came out fighting, returning to his owner and spending several months fattening up on grass before returning to work in October.
A long-time member of the British team, Tina Cook made her Olympic debut in 2008 with the relative novice Miners Frolic who won team and individual bronze. He went on to win the European title in 2009 and a world team gold in 2010.