Moorlands Totilas
Encyclopedia
Totilas, also known from 2006-2011 as Moorlands Totilas, and nicknamed "Toto", is a Dutch Warmblood
stallion
standing high who is considered to be one of the most outstanding competitive dressage
horses in the world, the first horse to score above 90 in dressage competition, and the current holder of the world record for the highest dressage score in Grand Prix Freestyle Dressage. Going into the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games
(WEG), Moorlands Totilas and his rider, Edward Gal
, had amassed multiple world-record scores in international competition, leading one American
journalist to call them "rock stars in the horse world".
and asked him to ride and compete Totilas. In 2006, after Gal began working with the horse, his sponsors Cees (also spelled Kees) and Tosca Visser purchased Totilas in the name of their investment company, Moorland BV.After this purchase the horse competed under the name "Moorlands Totilas."
Totilas was ridden throughout most of his international Grand Prix career by Gal, under the flag of the Netherlands. Gal first began working with Toto in 2006 and the pair started to compete in 2008. Gal and the team of people who worked with the horse understood that Toto was "something special" after their first Grand Prix (GP) competition, with Gal later stating, "He has an incredible amount of talent; it’s simply a pleasure to ride him."
In July 2009, Gal and Toto broke Anky van Grunsven
's world record score in Grand Prix Freestyle with an 89.50% mark at Hickstead, England
, and shortly thereafter followed it up breaking their own record with a score of 90.75% at the 2009 FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships
. In December 2009, at the fourth leg of the 2009–10 FEI World Cup Dressage series at Olympia
in London
, they extended their record in GP Freestyle to 92.30%, more than 10 points above the second-place finisher. They won that season's FEI World Cup final with a win in GP Freestyle at home in the Netherlands, winning by more than 7 points with a score better than their first world record. The pair also have a world-record score in the Grand Prix Special discipline to their credit, having recorded 86.460% at Aachen
in July 2010.
The horse is not free of controversy. Critics claim his extravagant natural paces are artificially inflating dressage scores and corrupting the fundamentals of the sport. One German equestrian magazine compared his performances to those in a circus. However, the head of the World Cup judging panel at the Olympia competition in London dismissed such criticism, saying, “People should be big enough to recognise brilliance when they see it." While some give primary credit to the skill of Edward Gal as the primary reason the horse has reached such a high level at a relatively young age for a dressage horse, and at least one writer has wondered if Toto's success is because he is a Gemini
, Anne Gribbons, dressage technical adviser for the United States Equestrian Federation
, assesses the horse as having simply taken the sport to a new level: "He is capable of such power and balance while he's in motion that it is almost beyond what most other horses can do."
The pair were triple gold medalists at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games
, becoming the first horse-rider partnership ever to sweep the three available dressage gold medals at a single FEI World Games.
in 2009, and stood at stud in 2010 for a stud fee of €5500, or about $7,000 (US), considered a very high fee for a warmblood
stallion. A total of 175 mares were approved for the stallion, including US Olympic medal-winner Brentina
. His first year at stud generated fees of nearly €1.4 million. In September 2010, an embryo by Totilas sold for €32,000. His first foal
, a seal brown
-colored filly
named Moorlands Guinevere, was foaled January 23, 2011 in Utrecht, Netherlands.
In October of 2010, it was announced that sport horse
breeder Paul Schockemöhle
had purchased Moorlands Totilas. The sale price was not disclosed, but rumors have circulated that the price was in the range of €9.5 million to as high as €15 million. At the World Equestrian Games, Edward Gal strongly denied that the horse was for sale, but his owners stated that after his wins at the WEG, "we could no longer ignore the interest in the stallion." Though the official press release stated the Gal "understood" the Vissers' decision, other news sources quoted him as stating, ""I'm absolutely devastated...It's like I'm struck by lightning."
The news sent considerable shockwaves thought the dressage community, with the Dutch national dressage team expressing intense disappointment that their Olympic
hopes had been shattered with the horse being sold to an individual from the nation that is their closest rival, Germany. Dutch team trainer Sjef Janssen described the sale as "a huge blood-letting" for the team, expressing concerns that the horse will perform for Germany in the 2012 Olympics." The online community was also set abuzz, and the Eurodressage web site crashed due to an overload of visitors. Comment included heated criticism of Anky van Grunsven from Gal's business partner Nicole Werner for posting the news via Twitter prior to the official news release, and a resulting public exchange between the two camps on Facebook. The Vissers have stated that they will continue to make promising and talented horses available to Gal.
will be marketing the horse under that name. Schockemöhle and co-owner Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff
selected Matthias Alexander Rath, a 26 year old German rider and stepson of Linsenhoff, to be the new rider of Totilas. The stated goal is for the pair to be on the German team for the European Dressage Championships to be held in Rotterdam in August 2011.
In November, 2010, Totilas and Rath had a public appearence in Mühlen
, Germany, at Schockemöhle's stallion station. In full show gear, the 26-year old Rath sat on Totilas for the sixth time and rode the Dutch warmblood stallion in Schockemöhle's indoor arena to the music of Era's Ameno. After this brief session and a photo opportunity for the press, Paul Schockemöhle, Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff, Klaus Martin Rath, Matthias Rath and Sönke Lauterbach (secretary general of the German Equestrian Federation) took a seat for a public statement and a question round. Linsenhoff stated that having Totilas in Germany is significant for the German dressage team and the future of the sport. "This horse is important for our breeding and for our sport. I’m proud that our son has been asked. We hope they will come to a harmony," she said. " It’s a wonderful horse. With so much potential, such shoulder freedom, beauty, and presence. It’s unbelievable. I'm sure you all will agree with me on that point."
stallion, Gribaldi that was approved by KWPN, the Dutch Warmblood
registry, and noted for elegance and refinement. Gribaldi had also been shown at the Grand Prix level by Edward Gal. Toto's dam, Lominka, a KWPN approved Dutch Warmblood
, comes from bloodlines that have produced both show jumping
and dressage
horses, many of whom were noted for good temperament.
Dutch Warmblood
A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the...
stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
standing high who is considered to be one of the most outstanding competitive dressage
Dressage
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
horses in the world, the first horse to score above 90 in dressage competition, and the current holder of the world record for the highest dressage score in Grand Prix Freestyle Dressage. Going into the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games
2010 FEI World Equestrian Games
The 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games were held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky from September 25 to October 10, 2010. This was the sixth edition of the games, which are held every four years and run by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports...
(WEG), Moorlands Totilas and his rider, Edward Gal
Edward Gal
Edward Gal is a Dutch dressage rider. He and his most recent mount, the stallion Moorlands Totilas , were triple gold medalists at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games, becoming the first horse-rider partnership ever to sweep the three available dressage gold medals at a single FEI World Games...
, had amassed multiple world-record scores in international competition, leading one American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist to call them "rock stars in the horse world".
Show career
Totilas was bred by Jan K. Schuil and Anna Schuil-Visser in Broeksterwâld (Broeksterwoude) in the Netherlands. They gave him his basic training. Upon entering major competition at age five, he was ridden by Jiska van den Akker and exhibited at the 2005 World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Verden, Germany. There he distinguished himself as the best horse from the Netherlands, and placed fourth in the final ranking of five year old dressage horses. Also in 2005, his owners contacted Edward GalEdward Gal
Edward Gal is a Dutch dressage rider. He and his most recent mount, the stallion Moorlands Totilas , were triple gold medalists at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games, becoming the first horse-rider partnership ever to sweep the three available dressage gold medals at a single FEI World Games...
and asked him to ride and compete Totilas. In 2006, after Gal began working with the horse, his sponsors Cees (also spelled Kees) and Tosca Visser purchased Totilas in the name of their investment company, Moorland BV.After this purchase the horse competed under the name "Moorlands Totilas."
Totilas was ridden throughout most of his international Grand Prix career by Gal, under the flag of the Netherlands. Gal first began working with Toto in 2006 and the pair started to compete in 2008. Gal and the team of people who worked with the horse understood that Toto was "something special" after their first Grand Prix (GP) competition, with Gal later stating, "He has an incredible amount of talent; it’s simply a pleasure to ride him."
In July 2009, Gal and Toto broke Anky van Grunsven
Anky van Grunsven
Theodora Elisabeth Gerarda van Grunsven is a Dutch dressage champion who won the gold medal in the 2000 Olympics with her horse Bonfire and gold in the 2004 Olympics and in the 2008 Olympics with Salinero.Van Grunsven has also dominated World Cup Dressage competition, being named the World...
's world record score in Grand Prix Freestyle with an 89.50% mark at Hickstead, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and shortly thereafter followed it up breaking their own record with a score of 90.75% at the 2009 FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships
2009 FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships
The 2009 FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships, also known as the 2009 Alltech FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships, is the 30th edition of the European Show Jumping Championships and the 26th edition of the European Dressage Championship. It is being held at Windsor Castle in...
. In December 2009, at the fourth leg of the 2009–10 FEI World Cup Dressage series at Olympia
Olympia, London
Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, they extended their record in GP Freestyle to 92.30%, more than 10 points above the second-place finisher. They won that season's FEI World Cup final with a win in GP Freestyle at home in the Netherlands, winning by more than 7 points with a score better than their first world record. The pair also have a world-record score in the Grand Prix Special discipline to their credit, having recorded 86.460% at Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
in July 2010.
The horse is not free of controversy. Critics claim his extravagant natural paces are artificially inflating dressage scores and corrupting the fundamentals of the sport. One German equestrian magazine compared his performances to those in a circus. However, the head of the World Cup judging panel at the Olympia competition in London dismissed such criticism, saying, “People should be big enough to recognise brilliance when they see it." While some give primary credit to the skill of Edward Gal as the primary reason the horse has reached such a high level at a relatively young age for a dressage horse, and at least one writer has wondered if Toto's success is because he is a Gemini
Gemini (astrology)
Gemini is the third astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the Zodiac between the 60th and 89th degree of celestial longitude. Generally, the Sun transits this area of the zodiac between May 21 to June 20 each year...
, Anne Gribbons, dressage technical adviser for the United States Equestrian Federation
United States Equestrian Federation
The United States Equestrian Federation is the national governing body for most equestrian sports in the United States. It began on January 20, 1917 as the Association of American Horse Shows, later changed in 1933 to the American Horse Shows Association...
, assesses the horse as having simply taken the sport to a new level: "He is capable of such power and balance while he's in motion that it is almost beyond what most other horses can do."
The pair were triple gold medalists at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games
2010 FEI World Equestrian Games
The 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games were held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky from September 25 to October 10, 2010. This was the sixth edition of the games, which are held every four years and run by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports...
, becoming the first horse-rider partnership ever to sweep the three available dressage gold medals at a single FEI World Games.
Breeding status and sale
Moorlands Totilas was approved for breeding by the KWPNDutch Warmblood
A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the...
in 2009, and stood at stud in 2010 for a stud fee of €5500, or about $7,000 (US), considered a very high fee for a warmblood
Warmblood
Warmbloods are a group of middle-weight horse types and breeds, primarily originating in Europe, registered with organizations that are characterized by open studbook policy, studbook selection, and the aim of breeding for equestrian sport...
stallion. A total of 175 mares were approved for the stallion, including US Olympic medal-winner Brentina
Brentina
Brentina is an Olympic-level dressage horse ridden by Debbie McDonald.*Foaled: 1991*Color: Chestnut*Markings: Star, sock off fore, half-stocking off hind*Sex: Mare*Breed: Hanoverian...
. His first year at stud generated fees of nearly €1.4 million. In September 2010, an embryo by Totilas sold for €32,000. His first foal
Foal
A foal is an equine, particularly a horse, that is one year old or younger. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, but these terms are used until the horse is age three or four. When the foal is nursing from its dam , it may also be called a suckling...
, a seal brown
Seal brown (horse)
Seal brown is a hair coat color of horses characterized by a near-black body color; with black points, the mane, tail and legs; but also reddish or tan areas around the eyes, muzzle, behind the elbow and in front of the stifle...
-colored filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
named Moorlands Guinevere, was foaled January 23, 2011 in Utrecht, Netherlands.
In October of 2010, it was announced that sport horse
Sport horse
Sport horse, or Sporthorse, is a term used to describe a type of horse, rather than any particular breed. The term generally refers to horses bred for the traditional Olympic equestrian sporting events of dressage, eventing, show jumping, and combined driving. The precise definition varies...
breeder Paul Schockemöhle
Paul Schockemöhle
Paul Schockemöhle is a former German showjumper. He is the brother of Alwin Schockemöhle, another leading German rider.He was three times European Champion on his best horse Deister....
had purchased Moorlands Totilas. The sale price was not disclosed, but rumors have circulated that the price was in the range of €9.5 million to as high as €15 million. At the World Equestrian Games, Edward Gal strongly denied that the horse was for sale, but his owners stated that after his wins at the WEG, "we could no longer ignore the interest in the stallion." Though the official press release stated the Gal "understood" the Vissers' decision, other news sources quoted him as stating, ""I'm absolutely devastated...It's like I'm struck by lightning."
The news sent considerable shockwaves thought the dressage community, with the Dutch national dressage team expressing intense disappointment that their Olympic
Equestrian at the Summer Olympics
Equestrianism made its Summer Olympics debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It disappeared until 1912, but has appeared at every Summer Olympic Games since. The current Olympic equestrian disciplines are Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping...
hopes had been shattered with the horse being sold to an individual from the nation that is their closest rival, Germany. Dutch team trainer Sjef Janssen described the sale as "a huge blood-letting" for the team, expressing concerns that the horse will perform for Germany in the 2012 Olympics." The online community was also set abuzz, and the Eurodressage web site crashed due to an overload of visitors. Comment included heated criticism of Anky van Grunsven from Gal's business partner Nicole Werner for posting the news via Twitter prior to the official news release, and a resulting public exchange between the two camps on Facebook. The Vissers have stated that they will continue to make promising and talented horses available to Gal.
German ownership
In March of 2011, Schockemöhle changed the horse's show name with the FEI to "Totilas". Schockemöhle together with promoter Michael MronzMichael Mronz
Michael Mronz is a German sports manager and longtime partner of German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle. The couple entered civil partnership on 17 September 2010 in a private ceremony in Bonn. He is the younger brother of the former tennis player Alexander Mronz.-References:...
will be marketing the horse under that name. Schockemöhle and co-owner Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff
Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff
Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff is a German equestrian and Olympic champion. She won a gold medal in team dressage at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul....
selected Matthias Alexander Rath, a 26 year old German rider and stepson of Linsenhoff, to be the new rider of Totilas. The stated goal is for the pair to be on the German team for the European Dressage Championships to be held in Rotterdam in August 2011.
In November, 2010, Totilas and Rath had a public appearence in Mühlen
Steinfeld, Lower Saxony
Steinfeld is a municipality in the district of Vechta, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 16 km southwest of Vechta, and 40 km northeast of Osnabrück....
, Germany, at Schockemöhle's stallion station. In full show gear, the 26-year old Rath sat on Totilas for the sixth time and rode the Dutch warmblood stallion in Schockemöhle's indoor arena to the music of Era's Ameno. After this brief session and a photo opportunity for the press, Paul Schockemöhle, Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff, Klaus Martin Rath, Matthias Rath and Sönke Lauterbach (secretary general of the German Equestrian Federation) took a seat for a public statement and a question round. Linsenhoff stated that having Totilas in Germany is significant for the German dressage team and the future of the sport. "This horse is important for our breeding and for our sport. I’m proud that our son has been asked. We hope they will come to a harmony," she said. " It’s a wonderful horse. With so much potential, such shoulder freedom, beauty, and presence. It’s unbelievable. I'm sure you all will agree with me on that point."
Pedigree
Moorlands Totilas is sired by a TrakehnerTrakehner
Trakehner is a light warmblood breed of horse, originally developed at the East Prussian state stud farm in the town of Trakehnen from which the breed takes its name...
stallion, Gribaldi that was approved by KWPN, the Dutch Warmblood
Dutch Warmblood
A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the...
registry, and noted for elegance and refinement. Gribaldi had also been shown at the Grand Prix level by Edward Gal. Toto's dam, Lominka, a KWPN approved Dutch Warmblood
Dutch Warmblood
A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the...
, comes from bloodlines that have produced both show jumping
Show jumping
Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
and dressage
Dressage
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
horses, many of whom were noted for good temperament.