[ptownevt]

Eurodressage reported today that the dressage selection committee from the German Olympic Equestrian Committee have removed Rath and Totilas from the German A Team. Apparently there is no indication of when the two of them will be returning to competition.

Such a horrible waste of a brilliant horse in service to a rich man's ego.

[Bugs-n-Frodo]

Wow. I do not know what to say. This makes me sad.

[alicen]

http://gestuet-lewitz.de/front_conte...cat=113&lang=5

He might consider (constructive and ego saving) suggestions to sell Toto to GLock?

[DownYonder]

Eurodressage reported today that the dressage selection committee from the German Olympic Equestrian Committee have removed Rath and Totilas from the German A Team. Apparently there is no indication of when the two of them will be returning to competition.

Such a horrible waste of a brilliant horse in service to a rich man's ego.

Such venom these days toward the "rich". Maybe when you are a self-made millionaire like PS, you too will be able to buy whatever horse you want and do whatever you want with it.

Perhaps the "rich man" felt that the horse's greatest contribution could possibly be in the breeding shed, instead of entertaining the masses by prancing around a rectangle.

He only got talked into letting the horse compete because the kid's step-mother was willing to sink millions of Euros into the co-ownership, and they were hoping it would help the Germans beat the Dutch in London (which, of course, happened *without* Toto on the German team, but would NOT have happened if Toto had been on the Dutch team with Gal).

As I have been hinting all along - like so many stallions, Totilas is apparently not able to handle the dual demands of a heavy breeding schedule and a heavy riding/competition schedule. It is taking a toll on him physically and mentally. Now they will collect him over the winter for frozen semen and do some early breedings, then he stops breeding while he and MR go to Sjef. Then they re-evaluate, and either he returns to the show ring with a vengeance, or he goes back to Mühlen to take up his breeding duties again. I am guessing PS and AKL have an agreement that MR gets to try competing the horse for a certain length of time, and when that time is up, PS will take the horse back. Meanwhile, he must wonder every day if the horse will suffer an injury or illness that will compromise his breeding activities (inguinal hernia, colic, or a severe injury that will make climbing the mount very difficult or impossible). And I guess if that happens, some will laugh at PS and say he got what he deserved for being "rich".

[Crockpot]

Meanwhile, he must wonder every day if the horse will suffer an injury or illness that will compromise his breeding activities (inguinal hernia, colic, or a severe injury that will make climbing the mount very difficult or impossible). And I guess if that happens, some will laugh at PS and say he got what he deserved for being "rich".

I doubt many horse people would laugh if Totilas receives such an injury. Those that would laugh are not much interested in the horse's wellbeing. I don't think this is about hating the "rich" . Many 'rich' people are much admired and respected. It may be more about greed.

[Isabeau Z Solace]

He only got talked into letting the horse compete because the kid's step-mother was willing to sink millions of Euros into the co-ownership, and they were hoping it would help the Germans beat the Dutch in London (which, of course, happened *without* Toto on the German team, but would NOT have happened if Toto had been on the Dutch team with Gal).

Hmm... my recollection was that PS was looking for someone else to 'buy into' the stallion immediately after he purchased the horse. I don't think anyone 'talked' him into anything. I though he very much wanted other investors.

Will have to dig up some old Eurodressage articles....

[Lost_at_C]

Also the PETA investigation is now looming:

http://www.eurodressage.com/equestri...n-investigates

I don't think being dropped from the A team is all that significant... as Sjef says in the article above, their absence from competition since last summer made that pretty much inevitable. I wouldn't write them off altogether just yet - there are so very many people who will benefit tremendously if they can manage to get just a few good performances out of this horse in 2013.

[dalpal]

Such venom these days toward the "rich". Maybe when you are a self-made millionaire like PS, you too will be able to buy whatever horse you want and do whatever you want with it.

Perhaps the "rich man" felt that the horse's greatest contribution could possibly be in the breeding shed, instead of entertaining the masses by prancing around a rectangle.

He only got talked into letting the horse compete because the kid's step-mother was willing to sink millions of Euros into the co-ownership, and they were hoping it would help the Germans beat the Dutch in London (which, of course, happened *without* Toto on the German team, but would NOT have happened if Toto had been on the Dutch team with Gal).

As I have been hinting all along - like so many stallions, Totilas is apparently not able to handle the dual demands of a heavy breeding schedule and a heavy riding/competition schedule. It is taking a toll on him physically and mentally. Now they will collect him over the winter for frozen semen and do some early breedings, then he stops breeding while he and MR go to Sjef. Then they re-evaluate, and either he returns to the show ring with a vengeance, or he goes back to Mühlen to take up his breeding duties again. I am guessing PS and AKL have an agreement that MR gets to try competing the horse for a certain length of time, and when that time is up, PS will take the horse back. Meanwhile, he must wonder every day if the horse will suffer an injury or illness that will compromise his breeding activities (inguinal hernia, colic, or a severe injury that will make climbing the mount very difficult or impossible). And I guess if that happens, some will laugh at PS and say he got what he deserved for being "rich".

Thank you..I am so sick of all the internet arm chair Divas (who half of them probably don't even ride) spewing venom towards this young man.

Poor, poor Toto...I'm sure he is so abused. Newsflash folks....the horse was heavily competed for years. Chances are, this would have happened even with Gal (Gasp)..horses do not/cannot compete on the international level forever.

[NOMIOMI1]

Breeders and trainers wouldnt have jobs if it wasnt for those "rich" idiots buying lovely horses instead of making them.

Gal would be out of business if he just made lovely horses that no one wanted to buy.

There would be no Totilas without people like Gal coming up the ranks and replacing last years Gal to make horses like Totilas.

Totilas would have never been bred if no one was trying to make horses easier for someone like Gal to train and later sell.

Calling people greedy for buying a horse that obviously was for sale is sad and petty.

[alicen]

Newsflash folks....the horse was heavily competed for years. Chances are, this would have happened even with Gal (Gasp)..horses do not/cannot compete on the international level forever.

"The past two years we've been living a dream and enjoyed every moment of Edward and Totilas." Visser.

Not too heavily competed by Gal.

[dudleyc]

What I find interesting is that 3 of the 5 horses that ARE on Germany's "A" list are sired by De Niro and all 5 are "D" line (Donnerhall).

(My beloved Gesstenia is sired by De Niro)

[merrygoround]

I do not blame his breeding schedule. Edward Gal is a gifted rider who formed a relationship with Totilas. If Totilas former owners had elected to breed him, I believe "Toto" would still be performing as brilliantly with Edward.

"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."

[Mardi]

Such a horrible waste of a brilliant horse in service to a rich man's ego.

Huh ? Weren't the previous owners wealthy too ? Or are you referring to them ? They're the ones that SOLD the horse when he was at the top of his game. And surely they made a good profit. So.....are you angry with the seller, or the buyer ?

[ideayoda]

Anyone notice what SJ 'confirmed' as truth' in the last sentence?

[Crockpot]

Anyone notice what SJ 'confirmed' as truth' in the last sentence?

Huh? SJ didn't confirm anything there.

[netg]

Anyone notice what SJ 'confirmed' as truth' in the last sentence?

That he was injured? That was public knowledge - he hadn't come to the US when scheduled due to injury and was really only just coming back when MR got sick. He may have had more injury than that, I don't know, but the article doesn't confirm any more than that.

[Crockpot]

There is nothing about SJ in the 'last sentence" .

[ideayoda]

opps, wrong thread: http://www.eurodressage.com/equestri...n-investigates

[DownYonder]

I do not blame his breeding schedule. Edward Gal is a gifted rider who formed a relationship with Totilas. If Totilas former owners had elected to breed him, I believe "Toto" would still be performing as brilliantly with Edward.

Sorry, I disagree. He no doubt would be performing more brilliantly than he is with MR, but I would bet money that if he was breeding as much as he has been doing since moving to Germany, his performances WOULD have suffered. Stallions that jump the phantom every day for weeks on end get sore in the back, sore in the hocks, sore in the stifles, sometimes sore in the abdomen. They become fatigued physically and mentally, and you just can't push them under saddle as much without risking a physical or mental "blow-out".

That is why very few stallions are capable of staying at the top of their game as GP competition horses while maintaining a very heavy breeding schedule, and why top riders - Gal included - are not big fans of trying to work around heavy breeding schedules for the FEI stallions they compete.

[dalpal]

"The past two years we've been living a dream and enjoyed every moment of Edward and Totilas." Visser.

Not too heavily competed by Gal.

Oh please...do you have a crystal ball that shows that this wouldn't have happened regardless as to owned him?????