Dutch 2022 World Championship team pair Marieke van der Putten and Torveslettens Titanium have made a winning come back to the international ring after a 6-month break from showing. At the 2023 World Cup Finals in Omaha (USA) in April Titanium suffered from a severe colic attack which required surgery. Six months later at the CDI Leeuwarden on 20 - 22 October 2023 the pair won the Grand Prix and Special and proved themselves ready for the 2024 Olympic year.
Colic in Omaha
The 11-year old Danish warmblood Torveslettens Titanium (by Totilas x Stedinger) was withdrawn from the Freestyle finals at the 2023 World Cup Finals because he showed colic signs.
His condition did not improve and the horse was transported to the Iowa State University Large Animal Hospital, where he was operated on. The life of the gelding hung on a thread for a while and he ended up staying in Iowa a month to recover before he was fit enough to fly home.
Van der Putten never expected him to make a come back so fast.
"He's a super strong horse who is really eager in everything and I'm sure this helped his speedy recovery," said Van der Putten.
Double Victory in Leeuwarden
"Indoor Friesland came at the right time. I really had the feeling Tito was ready for it and the show is relatively close to home. That was nice," said Marieke. "My test went according to my expectations. During the ring familiarisation Tito was extremely tense and I really tried to solve that. Today he was a bit more comfortable. Of course I noticed that he hasn't been out for a while, but I'm very happy for now."
Van der Putten chose to ride the Special on Sunday as it gave her horse an extra day to rest. This decision paid off as the pair won the class with 10 riders on a score of 75.808%.
"I'm very happy," said Marieke on Sunday. "This was our best test every. Of course there were still things to improve. Tito should get a bit more balance and the total image can be prettier, but for now it couldn't be better. It's a very special moment after all we've been though. This makes the whole story even more emotional."
The pair is coached by Marion Schreuder.
Photo © Digishots - Astrid Appels
Related Links
Scores: 2023 CDI Leeuwarden
Tørveslettens Titanium Undergoes Colic Surgery in Iowa
Marieke van der Putten Withdraws Torveslettens Titanium from the 2023 World Cup Finals