Video

Gal may not use Rollkur in tests, but Totilas was never trained correctly by anybody. It's not all about the head and what is correct or incorrect (although over 50 peer-reviewed veterinary studies published at present all conclude that ANY degree of overbending is extremely damaging to the horse's entire body [poll ossification, damaged ligaments, kissing spine, joint issues, restricting breathing, etc.], not just severe Rollkur). If someone has ANY knowledge on horse anatomy and how different parts of the body function with each other, they could easily tell that something is not right (not just with Totilas; with any horse you look at). For example, it is a physical impossibility for a horse to lift its forelegs as high as Toto does unless their back is hollow and extremely tense (the negative tension allows the structure of the foreleg to lift that high). Everything begins in the hindquarters, and that's where all the old masters started. You have to get impulsion, get the horse moving his feet far underneath himself so he can use his core and lift his back. If you look at many of today's dressage horses, not just Totilas (who is a saint, in my opinion), you'll notice that they never really step very far under their bodies with their hind legs. It's especially noticeable in passage and/or piaffe (that pause and "bobbing" of the hind feet before being placed down is a definitive sign of tension in the hamstrings, meaning the back is hollow and tense and the horse physically cannot engage itself). Dujardin has a more correct way of riding than most modern riders, but is still not totally correct because she rides hollow horses (once more with the high forelegs which cannot be achieved without a hollow, tense back). It's almost laughable when you look at tests on paper, view a performance of that test, and compare it to the FEI's own guidelines for scoring. The judges always score higher for flashy movements instead of correctness. I once watched a test where the horse ended up with an 80% - though he was overbent, extremely hollow, and in various piaffe portions either moved over 1m forward or took backwards steps, which are mandatory point demerits. If the judges had scored according to the actual rulebook, that particular test should have been around a 16%. Bad riding is rewarded because it's pretty to look at, nothing more...

Yup, not to mention that Gal has very light hands in this ride and that Totals never showed any problems until he'd switched riders and been with Rath for quite a while.

Not "the dutch". Only his owners, who wanted to cash in €10 million. Everyone else was against it. Germany thought they could buy and use brilliance without putting in any effort themselves. But a horse is not some kind of car. I'll bet Totilas has been thoroughly unhappy ever since they tore him away from the people he knew and loved.

So true! The combination of etward and totilas was magical !

+Lena Fickelscherer how exactly?

+Lorin Drake With owning such a horse comes an incredible burden. Watch the documentary, it is really emotional and impressive

+Lorin Drake I believe Edward Gal didn't own the horse, I believe his sponsor did and chose to sell. But I may be wrong

thats's very true

+christel1857 whats the documentary called

+Lisa Mahringer I agree it was not a good move for the horse to be sold.He has not been the same since, such a magnificent animal.

Melissa Wever Why again? That's not fair against Germans. It was not "ruined again" by the Germans. There is one truth, though: You cannot buy success. You know, not Totilas alone was magic ... it was the magic between Edward Gal and Totilas ... these two were ONE. Everything looks so easy - completely in harmony. Pity. Today I read in the German newspapers that Totilas will never start again after the last fiasco. Moreoever he is already 15 years old. See it like that: Now he can enjoy the meadows and live the life of a normal horse :-). Greetz from Germany

I'm German. Thank you.

I'm German. Thank you.

I'm German. Thank you.

+MissJools11 Lady Madonna by the Beatles

EquestrianEquitation But he hasn't lasted long. He's sixteen and his trainer has admitted that he may be retired because he has yet another injury.

That's only true if they are ridden incorrectly. My Arabian is 23 years old, and the only time he has ever been lame was when he stepped on a nail and foundered, but that was 11 years ago and to this day he has been sound. At this age, he is still my best event horse. I frequently do dressage on him, but the difference is I always ride him on or slightly above the vertical and do my best to use classical methods. Unlike Totilas, rollkur has never been used on him. When done correctly, dressage is one of the best ways to prevent horses from getting stiff as it teaches them to stretch and loosen their muscles and carry themselves lightly. The only exception would be if the horse had any major conformational flaws like post hocks or upright pasterns, in which case the horse can not absorb any shock and would be lame if ridden anyway . Totilas does not have these flaws and his lameness is solely a result of improper riding and being started at too young an age.

Andreas Helgestrand, Matine's rider, also used rollkur. Check out this article (www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2013/06/15/rollkur-debate-flares-again-denmark ), Andreas rode this horse so badly his tongue turned blue from the bit cutting off circulation. And you might also want to check out this video of Edward Gal riding in full rollkur that was posted on Facebook a few days ago. facebook.com/DianeBliessen/videos/959979567398339/

what the hell,you are probably 10 yrs old!ive been doing dressage for almost 10 yrs now!it is not abuse and the swishing tail is what your horse is trained to do!!and if he wasnt supposed to do that its probably just flies!he is fine out there OK!

Dressage is not inherently abusive but rollkur is. And the sad fact of the matter is that Totilas was ridden with rollkur when in training with both Edward Gal and Mathias Alexnader Rath, which explains the nature of his various injuries. And when it is not being used for balance, tail swishing in horses is a sign of discomfort. Horses are definitely not trained to swish their tails, in fact, in many disciplines like western pleasure and reining judges count it against the horse if they swish their tails too much. canterwood equestrian centre

Freestyle dressage is usually played to a customized track made by the team specifically for the routine. But most of the track seems to be from Hoist the Colours.

The second last song, is from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Also le cose che sia per me- Josh groban