Totilas and Edward Gal.
Dressage superstar Totilas has sadly passed away
Superstar dressage stallion Totilas has passed away from colic, aged 20.
The KWPN stallion, who was credited with bringing the sport of dressage to another level, captured the hearts of dressage fans and horse lovers around the globe.
Totilas was bred by Jan Schuil and Anna Visser and was first trained and competed by the Friesian rider Jiska van den Akker. Sold to Dutch millionaire Cees Visser, it was in 2006 that Edward Gal took over the ride and a famous partnership ensued.
Totilas and Edward Gal.
© Roger Fitzhardinge
Together Gal and ‘Toto’ won Team and Freestyle gold and Special silver at the 2009 European Championships in Windsor; and Team, Special and Freestyle gold at the 2010 WEG in Kentucky. They also won the 2010 World Cup final. The pair broke Anky van Grunsven’s Freestyle world record, and then proceeded to break their own record twice — their best score being 92.3% at London Olympia in 2009.
Late in 2010, the stallion was sold to Paul Schockemöhle and Ann Linsenhof, with Germany’s Matthias Alexander Rath taking over the ride. Together the combination achieved Team silver at the 2011 European Championships in Rotterdam and Team bronze at the 2015 European Championships at Aachen.
Totilas and Matthias Rath.
Aachen was the horse’s final event, with many believing the horse was lame in the Grand Prix. Totilas was retired in August 2015, after MRI results showed bone inflammation in the left hind hoof.
Edward Gal released the following via the Glock Horse Performance Centre Facebook page:
“Good bye my friend
Heaven has a new star today.
But my heart is broken.
Rest in peace #Totilas.
You will always be remembered.
Together with you I experienced happiness and even grief.
Time passed by and wounds healed.
But my love for you lasts forever.
You honored me with your trust.
You were my friend.
My condolences to Matthias and his family and to all who had the chance to work or live with this exceptional stallion.
And my thoughts to all of you who loved him.
Good bye my friend.
I will miss you until we meet again.”
Our thoughts are with Edward Gal, Matthias Alexander Rath, Schockemöhle Stud and all who were connected with the horse.
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