It was just days before Badminton last April when news surfaced that Tina Cook’s top mount, Miner’s Frolic, would be missing the competition due to a wither swelling that was thought to have caused by a bug bite. At the time, it seemed a rather trivial injury and such a shame that it had put a stop in Tina competing at Badminton and coming one step closer to securing her spot for the London Games in 2012.
As the days, weeks, and months progressed, the simple matter of the bug bite became rather complicated as Miner’s Frolic developed a rare but potentially life-threatening reaction after being administered a routine series of antibiotics. The proper name of the reaction is colitis; it causes extreme disturbance to the horse’s digestive system characterized by profuse diarrhea, rapid dehydration, and fever, all of which can lead to shock.
To combat these symptoms, Miner’s Frolic is being treated with an constant stream of I.V fluids, along with multiple blood transfusions. The amount of donor blood needed to treat him was so great that the Arundel Veterinary Clinic simply couldn’t supply all of it, so one Tina’s own horses had to be taken to the clinic to serve as a stand-in blood donor.
The Sporting Life interviewed Tina about the condition of the horse yesterday. She said:
“He’s lost a lot of condition and is very weak, so we are still not out of the woods yet, but it’s starting to look more optimistic now. Last week I really thought I was going to lose him, but somehow he managed to make it through. If he pulls through the next little while without further complications, he should make a full recovery.”“With any luck we will be able to build him up to full fitness for a return to eventing early next season.”
These next few days will really determine the future of Miner’s Frolic, so let’s keep our thoughts with Tina and everyone at the Arundel Vet Clinic working so hard to save him right now.
