Leslie Morse's Grand Prix horse Tip Top had to undergo emergency colic surgery on Friday 12 March 2010. The Swedish warmblood stallion (by Master) suffered from an acute colic attack in his stall at the Dressage Affaire CDI in Del Mar, CA, and was rushed to the equine clinic only two miles from the show. The operation went well and Tip Top is on the road to recovery.
"He was standing in his stall at the horse show eating hay and within seconds he threw himself down rolling," Leslie Morse told Eurodressage. "Thank god we we right there watching it. Fellow competiters and friends helped him in the trailer and we raced him to the clinic.
Dr Rodrigo Vazquez found a strangulated pedunculated lipoma, wrapped around 20 feet of distal jejunum and part of the Ileum. This lump of fat, which Tip Top probably had for years, usually grows in older horses and is not very usual for fit, athletic horses.
"Dr. Vazquez has given Tip Top the best chances for complete recovery," Morse confirmed. "It was a very frightening experience and in all my years I have been so lucky with him. To see him in such horrible pain was heart-breaking. Now he is comfortable and just have to wait and see. We are by his side so that he will know how much he is loved.
We are counting the hours for the next days and praying, but I know in my heart he is strong and fit and I am certain he can come through this."
Tip Top is a 16-year old licensed Swedish warmblood stallion by Master x Chagall x Figaro. He was the first horse in Swedish history to win the young horse "Breeder's Cup" championships three years in a row. Morse discovered the then 8-year old Tip Top at Kyra Kyrklund's stable in England. The pair have been members of the U.S bronze medal winning team at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.
"Tip Top had always been here for me and I am here for him," said Morse.
Photos © Dirk Caremans
Related Links
Euro-Tour of Duty for Leslie Morse and Tip Top
Viva Las Vegas - Leslie Morse and Tip Top Going For for Freestyle!
Kyra Kyrklund's Tip Top Sold to Leslie Morse
Leslie Morse, Raising the Bar For 2005