Last night Foltaire, the horse of the American Günter Seidel, suffered a serious colic attack. After it was discovered by the Dutch grooms who were fortunately still in the stables, he was rushed urgently to the University Clinic. Thankfully the Clinic is only a stone’s throw away from Horsley Park and is inside the quarantine area. The situation of Foltaire (v: Voltaire) was very critical. It was a difficult decision for the vets whether to operate or not. However after the initial devotion by the vets there was some improvement. So the decision not to operate was made. Today Foltaire’s situation was a little better and he returned to Horsley Park, where he stabled in a special area for sick horses. Günter is naturally disappointed and the chances for him to compete with Foltaire are very slim now. Everybody is doing there utmost to help Foltaire get well. We all hope he will recover quickly enough so he can still compete. After all the American team won bronze in Atlanta and Barcelona.