Thibault Vandenberghe's Santiago Song Pulls Through Second Colic Surgery

Dressage

Belgium

Belgian Grand Prix rider Thibault Vandenberge faced some tough luck at the end of the year as his number one Grand Prix horse, Santiago Song, underwent a second colic surgery in two years time.

Santiago Song is a 16-year old Rhinelander by Sir Dornnerhall out of Loredana (by Larome). He is bred by Mr Peeters of Horse Center Antwerp in Belgium.

Career Launching Ride

The elegant and long legged Santiago Song is Vandenberghe's career-launching Grand Prix horse in the senior division after the rider was successful in the youth classes in 2010s on Decadent.

Thibault bought the horse as a 3.5-year old in the autumn of 2010, scouted for him by Stefan van Ingelgem.

Trained from young horse level to Grand Prix under the watchful eyes of coach Carmen de Bondt, Santiago Song and 34-year old Vandenberghe made their international show debut in April 2018 at the CDI Nieuw en St. Joosland and had a very strong time at small level.

The pair competed internationally in the Prix St Georges and Intermediaire I for two years in 23 CDI tests between 2018 and 2019. They won no less than six of those classes, placed second five times, were third twice, and fourth four times. Their first international victory was in Sint-Truiden, then they dominated Deauville, Waregem and Mechelen.

Belgian Team

At the 2021 European Championships in Hagen

In the 2020 corona year they made the transition to Grand Prix level and gained mileage at national shows. They were sixth at the 2020 Belgian Grand Prix Championships. Their international Grand Prix debut was at the 2021 CDI Opglabbeek, where they had a rocky start in the Grand Prix but recovered to 68.949% in the consolation Grand Prix.

From there they went to Grote Brogel and Le Mans and were in the running for the reserve spot for the Belgian team for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. At the CDIO Rotterdam they went head to head with Alexa Fairchild, the other Belgian contestant for the Olympic reserve spot. While Fairchild scored 62.174%, Vandenberghe got 69.348%. However the Belgian selectors picked Fairchild, probably because her scores had been more consistent throughout the season.

Thibault got nominated on the Belgian team for the 2021 European Championships inHagen and got the opportunity to represent Belgium as a senior at a major championship for the first time on Santiago Song. They posted 68.168% (47th) in the Grand Prix. They finished the year with a silver medal at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix Championships.

Double Colic

Thibault and his two daughters visit a
recovering Santiago Song at the equine clinic

The pair's Grand Prix career got severely interrupted by a colic attack in November 2021 which required surgery.

The sensitive gelding returned to full fitness. They were 10th at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix Championships in May and made a come back to the CDI arena in Exloo in June 2022, followed by a start in Deauville that didn't go well. They were the second reserve for the Belgian team for the 2022 World Championships in Herning. They pair stayed home from international shows in the autumn and winter and returned at the CDI Lier in March 2023 where they scored 68.022% in the Grand Prix. It was their last international start. They did not compete at the 2023 Belgian Championships in May.

"After Lier we felt that he wasn't fit in spring and gave him a break from competition," Thibault told Eurodressage. "Since this summer he's been back to shows but only national level. The last few months he was improving. He found his joy to move at competitions and we had planned to do a few CDI's in 2024."

Santiago Song suffered from a second major colic attack at the beginning of December and was operated on. After three weeks, Thibault reported on Facebook that his horse was allowed to return home.

"After three weeks in the clinic he's finally back in his familiar place," said Thibault. "Many thought he wouldn't make it, a second colic surgery, but we didn't stop believing in him. His life hung by a thread, but he fought and persevered in the way we know him. Now a long rehabilitation awaits and we'll see what the future has in store."

Show plans are of course put on the back burner as Santiago will get all the time he needs to recover.

"We'll see what the future brings. Now I will enjoy every moment i have with him because he's still him. Everybody had given him up, but I persisted and look.. he's a real fighter. There are no more 'musts' and only whatever he wants. I will enjoy every moment with him, whether it is in the saddle or just in the field."