As Tina Cook embarks on her fifth senior European Eventing Championships at this week’s Longines FEI European Eventing Championships in Luhmühlen (28 August-1 September), we took some time to reflect with Tina about her double gold victory with Miners Frolic 10 years ago.

The European Championships in 2009 were held at Fontainebleau, in France, and came a year after Tina won double bronze at the 2008 Hong Kong Olympics on the gelding, known as Henry at home.

“Winning two medals on him at the Olympics was a miracle in itself,” says Tina. “We were called up to those Games as reserves and he was only 10 at the time. For him to jump two clear showjumping rounds under the lights was remarkable for such a young and inexperienced horse — it really was an example of what dreams are made of. So with that result under our belts, I was hopeful of us going well at the 2009 Europeans.

“As it was, the German team had a bit of a disaster in Fontainebleau, with the result not going their way. Henry joint-led the dressage with Oliver Townend and Flint Curtis sharing our score — Henry was a more relaxed character than the horse I have at these championships, Billy The Red.

“Henry was a great, fast cross-country horse and a good jumper and every medal I have won during my career has been on horses I have produced myself — it’s such a special feeling and to win any medal is amazing, but each medal I have won has had its own unique meaning and feeling depending on each horse’s character and the team around me at that moment in time.”

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Tina shares her advice to anyone who might find themselves in the incredible position of winning a medal or topping any podium.

“You really need to totally absorb every moment — standing on that podium, watching the Union Jack going up, with the national anthem playing is so special. My father was an emotional person and so am I and I have passed it onto my kids too — life goes on again as normal when you get home from those victories so it’s so important to make the most of those highs. So much hard work, disappointment and heartache goes into what we do, so when it goes well, that gives us the hunger to keep going and be the best.”

Check back for more updates from the Eventing European Championships in Luhmühlen all week, plus full report in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (dated 5 September).

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After Tina Cook announced she had decided to retire Miners Frolic due to a heart problem, many of his fans took to Twitter to wish him well for the future.

The 16-year-old — known at home as Henry — is the only British horse to have won 3 Olympic eventing medals and is a firm favourite with British eventing fans.

Here is a selection of some of H&H’s favourite messages for Henry.

To find out more about Tina’s decision and what lies in store for Henry in retirement, don’t miss this week’s Horse & Hound magazine — out Thursday 6 February.

If you are a fan of Miners Frolic, check out our picture gallery celebrating his greatest achievements.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Following the news Tina Cook has retired Miners Frolic due to a heart problem, H&H looks back at highlights of this special horse’s amazing career from our picture archives. To find out more about Tina’s decision and what lies in store for Henry’s retirement don’t miss this week’s Horse & Hound magazine — out Thursday 6 February.

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From the archives: British teams in pictures

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Tina Cook has told H&H that she has retired Miners Frolic after a problem with his heart.

The 16-year-old, known at home as Henry, won 3 Olympic medals, team and individual gold at the 2009 European Championships and helped to secure team gold at the 2010 World Equestrian Games.

Henry suffered a heart fibrillation after a hack last week — the same that racehorse Sprinter Sacre had causing him to be pulled up at Kempton in December.

After further consultation with veterinary heart expert Celia Marr and his owners, Nick and Valda Embiricos and Sarah Pelham, the decision was taken to retire him.

“He’s felt great and I was quite excited about the year ahead,” Tina told H&H.

“I had thought the World Equestrian Games [in August] might be his swansong — he looks amazing and feels as good as he’s ever done. But it’s not to be.

“He can now have a very happy retirement.”

To find out more about Tina’s decision and what lies in store for Miners Frolic in retirement don’t miss this week’s Horse & Hound — out Thursday 6 February. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Miners Frolic, Tina Cook’s Hong Kong Olympic bronze medal winning ride, has been fighting for survival in Arundel Equine Hospital after an adverse reaction to a long-term course of antibiotics.

The 13-year-old gelding, who also won dual gold at the 2009 European Championships, has been suffering from colitis, a poisoning of the gut, after he was given a prolonged course of antibiotics following the appearance of an infected lump that caused his withdrawal from this year’s Badminton prior to the dressage.

“Two days ago I nearly lost him,” said Tina Cook. “He had a high temperature last Sunday so I took him to the clinic on the Monday. He didn’t eat all week but he did have something yesterday [Saturday].

“He seems to have battled against it so we are optimistic that he will pull through but the danger now in such cases is chronic laminitis.”

The lump in Miners Frolic’s saddle area that had appeared during the week of Badminton had proved resistant to treatment. It only disappeared two days before the son of Miners Lamp fell ill, when Tina had been able to put a saddle on him for the first time in two months.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Rodney Powell carried off the €12,500 first prize at Boekelo CCI*** in Holland (11-14 October) on Zinzan II. The combination added just one time-penalty to their dressage score to finish on a mark of 41.4.

German rider Frank Ostholt jumped a super clear round on the final day to take second place with Mr Medicott on 44.1.

Tina Cook finished third on Miners Frolic. Just one rail down in the final phase moved Tina up a place from fourth after cross-country.

Germany’s Kai Rüder finished fourth with the 10-year-old Selle Francais Jeans. And Oliver Townend had victory within his grasp, lying second to Rodney overnight, but two rails down dropped Jackson D’Allez to fifth.

Sweden’s Linda Algotsson dropped from third to sixth with two fences down on her 17-year-old old Stand By Me, and New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson finished seventh with Silbury Hill.

Zara Phillips was eighth with the New Zealand-bred Glenbuck, who used to be competed by Sherelle Duke.

There was sad news when Oliver Smith’s Monarch’s Aristocrat, ridden by William Fox-Pitt, shattered his pastern irreparably while galloping in the woods between fences 21 and 22.

Read H&H’s full report from Boekelo, including fantastic photographs, in tomorrow’s magazine (18 October, ’07)

• For details of how to join the Event Horse Owners Association visit: www.ehoa.orgThe EHOA will be holding it’s annual dinner and awards night at the Inner Temple central London on Thursday 1 November. The guest speaker this year is Richard Waygood. For tickets contact Monika Hunt (tel: 07802 498786) or email: monika@monikahunt.co.uk

Download your free 12-page sample of Eventing magazine (September issue)

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now