Thank you for putting that so eloquently. As an american I found her comment very offensive, but could not have put my feelings into words this respectfully. Bravo!
when I did therapeutic dressage it was hard. I trained every weekend for a few months. with a disability it can be tough but I won a few blue ribbons in my division :)
R.I.P. to one of the best Dressage horses to ever life. Totilas died in the evening of Monday the 14th December 2020. He was before he passed in a surgery treating a colic. According to the owners he woke up from the surgery and stood up but passed away not long after doing so. With 20 years he was way to young to die and the world of Dressage will from now on miss one of it's most beloved horses. There is one more star in the sky tonight.
I'm not trying to criticize Dressage but I just started dressage and I have to say its so stinking difficult. Every time I do the circle wrong and I get corrected I get so pissed off that I feel like giving up.
Meaghanne Scheering Many people don't give this sport the credit it is due. The pros make it look easy. Many will also criticize you for partaking in it (claims of cruelty). Ignorance is abundant. It's a beautiful sport because of those corrections you're receiving now. Have heart, stick with it and you will be rewarded after much hard work. Keep your dedication and don't get discouraged! I look forward to seeing you and your horse performing in the future!
+Meaghanne Scheering Dont give up :) I am learning dressage and it really hard but I am already getting better. I bet that this rider was frustrated at many points when they were learning but they never gave up and now that are AWESOME!
+Meaghanne Scheering It is hard. I have tried it many times and training yourself and not to mention your horse can be very difficult. Stick with it because it is such an impressive sport and can be very rewarding. :)
beautiful horse, extremely well trained... can't help but feel that the nobility of this lovely horse is devalued by having him prance around for our amusement.
Sorry just had to say that the horse is really amazing but the method used for this one is called Rolkur. If you search it up it'll show you what it is and it does cause the horse pain. I actually looked into some other equestrian sports I enjoy or events and found what some people do is purely disgusting. This horse has been brave to go through the owners way of training and I'm glad that Rolkur is banned. Sorry if I ruined anything but it's best if people know what goes on behind the scenes. On another note there's so many good owners out there with horses that are complete super stars that are given kind methods to practice with what they do.
I'm new to learning about dressage, so please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the poll suppose to be the highest point? And this horses' poll is not, and he is broken at the 3rd vertebrae.
Megan Peterson it depends on the horses crest and if they are properly on the bit (by on the bit i mean with hindquarters tucked and back rounded, creating a 'soft' outline, not just having their head down all pretty.). Totilas has a very nicely built crest and is on the bit, so his poll will not be the highest point, you will find this is the same with many other advanced dressage horses, even if the crest is higher by only an inch or so. :)
Megan Peterson you are right.We have controverse discussions about this in Europe.We calles it "Rollkur" where the horses head is pulled to the chest which we think is animal abuse...Edward Gal is using this to make the horse "supple" but we think it`s abuse ...unfortunately the judges are giving high notes to such a presentation...we think this has nothing to do with classical riding
+jetsat100 I know Totilas has been put through Rollkur in the past (can't remember if it was with Edward or not) and yes it is cruel but Rollkur is not being used in this video, his neck is not hyper flexed and his chin is not tucked into his chest, if you look up some images on google you can see the difference. (in other words i completely agree with ultimate gamer (simon) on this issue.
+Alex Hood Gal was using rolkur on Totias as he do it on his new horse now.The Problem of the Rollkur is that the horse become supressed.We called it here "learned helplessness",and of course the physical Problems who runs after with this choice of riding.Its not importent if he do it on the show,but even on he show you can see that he is in a Rollkur -training.Look at older rider ,you can clearly see the difference.the horses were far more happy.Look for Christine Stückelberger or Rainer Klimke.
Jeez! People on this thread are asserting Totilas isn't happy to do dressage - but I know from being around dog breeders - breeders choose, from the litter, the one who has the correct personality & drive to enjoy, and thus succeed at, competing. And then, some said the Dressage movements are unnatural, that they must be forced. But Totilas was born to move the way he does, there would have been generations of careful selection to produce this inborn talent. From reading the thread I learned that Dutch Warmbloods like Totilas are specifically bred for Dressage just as Quarterhorses are bred with bodies perfect for the quarter mile. It's only common sense people! Let's enjoy the astounding, sublime performances of the elite athletes Totilas & Edward Gal.
Greetings Cuthulu! What dog breeders say about choosing their "picks" and what I see in my own dog's inborn gait - these were my points. Are you saying it's not the same with horses bred for dressage? I won't be reading "Tug of War" but I did look up its reviews and I learned a lot just from those. A brief look at a few reviews showed none which disputed the author's stand against modern training methods. So thanks for the education but I kinda wish I didn't know - my awe at what I see in those RUclips videos is now tainted. But knowing is better.
How utterly gorgeous -- this video makes my heart sing. I can only hope to be 5% as good as this in (many) years. My little OTTB only dances by stepping on my foot, so far :) Congratulations both to you and to this magnificent horse.
I just learned today--over half a year after the fact--that the gorgeous black stallion, Totilas died in Dec 2020 of complications from colic, at only 20 years old. What a terrible, terrible shame. I've been watching videos of him with the best partner he ever had--Edward Gal. Rest in power, gorgeous boy.
What a beautiful horse, and amazing at hos job! He obviously loves it. He moves so gracefully and who knew such a huge animal could be so agile and graceful. He is probably most certainly my favourite dressage horse!!
You really did an incredible job with this video. It doesn't hurt that Totilas is so talented with unmatched freedom in his shoulders and Edward Gal can ride! But your timing is perfect. Thanks so much. Never get tired of this.
That's the thing about horse lovers, we can appreciate talent and beauty no matter what the sport. Me? Yeah put me on a trail and I'm happy, but I can enjoy dressage, barrel racing, eventing(as long as I'm not riding lol) and most any equine sport.
There are good and bad trainers in every sport including Dressage. I used to run Dressage shows and I also knew Western shows since my dad's side of the family did this and I saw bad horse training and the need to win at all costs in both styles. As for injuries this happens in all horse sports. Like human athletes it's going to happen no matter how hard we try to have it not. I used to do demos where I would ride with a raw egg wrapped in my rein to show that the rein was a frame, not something pulled on or to abuse the horse with. I would then take off the bridle and saddle to show that it was my body that influenced the horse's natural way of going and not force or pressure training. I thought of myself as a natural rider where the horse was my partner, not an object to win with.
Beautiful performance. I like very much like how he praises the horse here and there for doing a good job. Don't see that often anymore. A treat to watch.
I wish he had; it makes him far more interesting to watch. Loved Blue Horse Matine because she danced to the music. The owners of this one don't appear to try to get him to hit the beat at all in the actual presentations, although he is definitely well-trained, beautiful and graceful, etc. So I really enjoyed this version :)
honestly im country and i like barrel racing and i watched this and i kinda like dressage but i would never be able to do this i like barrel racing better
kitten loves the world Totilas has been forced to do rollkur (also known as hyperflexion or being over under the bit) previously in competition (and possibly in training) but in this video Totilas is not being forced into rollkur, he is collected with a rounded back and tucked hindquarters, meaning he is properly on the bit and working in a 'soft' outline, rollkur does not accomplish this effectively. For a good example of rollkur look it up online, it is when the horses neck is being put into a position of extreme flexion, causing the horse to tuck their chin to their chest and be under the bit.
That's pretty cool! I loved it when she/he was kicking her legs up. So pretty! And the rhythm in her steps was so awesome! One of these days I'd like to actually see a live show of dressage. Thanks for sharing. :)
XxHeatherTheHorse Xx Saddleseat riding is worst, those horses are actually forced to do it and get abused if they don't. MOST dressage horses learn and do it naturally :)
***** The faults the horse is showing is a sign of abusive training, so it's important to critique the horse's movement. Every time a fault shows up the rider and trainer did something wrong. If you are against animal abuse then you need to be honest and direct about what has happened to this horse. For example, he's broken at the third and four vertebrae. That tells me that someone really did a number on this horse's mouth with a bit. The U'd back etc. is similar to a human lifting heavy weights with a U'd back. The only thing that will result is a damaged back and joints.
shirehorse91 Can you just let it go! First of all, I am with you on the 'true collection' side of things, and its okay for everyone to have their own opinions but whats not okay is hearing you shout at young girls and everyone else saying "You're not a dressage rider" and "You don't know anything" (especially for someone who is just starting out riding). It is rude, disrespectful and so arrogant. You don't need to make everyone else feel like shit, because you know "everything" and you are just the 'worlds best dressage rider'. I do not accuse you because of your opinion of collection, but I cannot stand people putting other people beneath them... Fucking bullshit. Just fucking stop it.
Jordana Watson Please, stop making an ass of yourself by telling everyone what they can and can't say. They don't know what they are talking about and that's reality. Don't promote yourself as an authority when you don't know what you are talking about. Sorry to pop your bubble, but that's is also reality.
I agree, unnatural, forced paces are being mistaken for "flair" these days. The horses are full of tension and wrong angles and gives the sport an ugly face. They should ban the nosebands in competition and then see who can really RIDE a horse...
Beautiful horse! but l prefer taking him for a beach ride something they love to do. Like no bit and no saddle just galloping on the beach all free, or with saddle or bit but in a good way, in the woods, they love it
Does anyone not see how upset this horse is , flicking tail , ears back , foaming mouth . this so called beautiful performance , is only achieved through pain , pain bit in the horse's mouth , big sparp ass Spurs digging into the horses sides . Nothing beautiful about this accept for the horse
+Alyssa yeo Actually, good riders don't use spurs. c: So, depending on if this a good rider (by that im meaning good as in good to their horses) you might not need to worry about the spurs. They're mainly for show. I know someone who wears spurs while she rides, but she never used them. But how they use the bit it terrible. And that front leg paddling isn't natural. Your right as well- The horse isn't comfortable. I wouldn't be surprised if they used soaring to get the horse to do that with it's legs. The poor boy/girl :c
I can see what you mean but the foaming of the mouth means that the horse is on the bit, and the ears are back to show that it is concentrated the horse would not be doing this if it's ears where back in anger, it would be bucking and refusing as for the spurs I have some myself and they are not sharp, they are blunt it is against rules and regulations for anything to be able to hurt the horse! they are used as an aid not as a weapon!
Clearly this person isn't very familiar with horses, foaming at the mouth is acceptance of the bit most people choose not to clean the horses mouth because it accentuates this acceptance, as for spurs proper use of spurs is not painful, western spurs which have a very prominent rowel are rolled not gouged they are an aid to give the desired pressure so as not to give an over accentuated leg cue but as others have said horses at this level don't need spurs. But to be honest before you knock on someone's chosen discipline maybe you should try to maintain the discipline and dedication to developing your craft to this level, just food for thought.
flicking tail: some horses do that when they're focusing on something or to line themselves up, sort of for balance. foaming mouth: means acceptance of the bit. ears back: yeah... that's a good thing. it means the horse is concentrating on what the rider is telling him to do and is prepared to obey the cues. My gelding almost always has his ears pricked backwards when we're working. When they're pinned all the way back, pressed to the head is when you have a problem and are most likely about to eat dirt. so yeah do your research and actually ride a horse a few times before listening to PETA and bashing on other people that know what they're doing.
While I abhor the practice of "rollkur", Edward Gal is an incredibly talented rider. Totilas is a "once-in-a-lifetime" horse. Just wish they had not used rollkur to train him. Thanks for the video. You did a wonderful job with the video. Thanks for sharing.
This isn't very good dressage it is meant to be about fluidity and suppleness but this is forcing the poor horse to do stuff that it doesn't want to if you want to see proper dressage search Charlotte Du Jardin and Valegro she is my idol and anyone that thinks that forcing horses to do things is good have obviously never ridden in thier life and they just think that they are being cool by pretending!
YES I Love Valegro. When I watch that horse I am amazed. He has such wonderful and natural suspension. The extended trot is animated but it is obvious it is all his own animation and suspension that is coming out. It is not mechanical at all! This is the mark of a happy horse. His has almost no tail swishing, his mouth is almost never open, plus he is about 90% of the time on the vertical! You can tell he rides off the leg and not the face...as it should be! It is obvious to me that his rider really enjoys riding him and that they have a bond. That's what I like to see in dressage, not some pretty horse that is being forced. It is always so sad to me that horse don't get to choose their owners or riders. The world would be a better place if they could. Totilas is obviously extremely naturally gifted, think how much better he could have been if he was just started the right way, and with a talented kind rider like Charlotte.
His rider did an amazing job conditioning this horse...even during his 1 and 2's you can tell that he is not struggling with balance or fatigue as some dressage horse do. You can all ways tell a well conditioned horse from lack of tail swishing in the 1 and 2's. Tail swishing to me means lots of trying going on! Or lots of annoyance.
chemma elotte Shut up!! Totilas was bred to enjoy and move like he does, so stop criticizing him! No one needs to know about how much you think he's "forced". He's not at all, get your tiny brain straight! Keep your RUDE comments to yourself and go cry about it. I'm tired of people just assuming Totilas is forced and doesn't like doing dressage, this video is obviously for people who LIKE Totilas, so go find a stupid "Dressage Hater" forum, I'm sure they would LOVE to hear your dumb concerns.
ppl just shut up! there is nothing wrong with Totalis! just get over it! it doesnt hurt them! they bred for this and the r born to love to do it. it comes from the heart. so just stop thinking its abuse cuz its not. soooo shut up.
ok, we;'ll all shut up If you know anything about a horse's body language or classical dressage you'd know that this is BS riding… forced "showy" paces that are technically incorrect according to the old masters' guidelines.
Annelle Muller News flash!! These are 1200 pound animals... If they didn't want to do dressage then they wouldn't. Duhhhh!!! Besides your probably the kind of person who thinks horse pulls are cruel too... So why am I even bothering?!?!?!? (I
Megan Anspach You clearly don't know THAT much about horses… or animal behaviour/psychology. Go get a little more life experience and then reconsider your comments.
Annelle Muller Sooo, guess what. I pretty much LIVE on a quarter horse ranch and I'm in pony club, and my favorite hobby is riding my horse. Not trying to boast, but do you even own a horse? Because if you did, you probably wouldn't be posting ignorant comments like that.
Theres a difference, if your talking about Rolkur. These horses heads are put in a frame, Rolkur is where there nose is always touching their chest. This is not Rolkur because they were being aided into a frame not forced, and Rolkur horses have their heads tied like that for hours, while these horses were normal.
Actually its sad to say Totilas is often Rolkurred. Rolkur doesn't just mean head is touching chest. It is severe over extension. Totilas was abused after his first rider. It reflects in his riding greatly.
Ausgebeutet bis zum Letzten, ohne Rücksicht. Mir kommen heute noch die Tränen, wenn ich an seine Geschichte denke. Die Profitgier stand jedem ins Gesicht geschrieben.
His strides are only un-even because that's a heavy horse like a cob or draught - it wont be able to do them properly - as long as he's having fun that's all that matters
For those who are unable to present anything remotely similar to that of Gal the only thing left - to tell imaginary stories about "pain" and "wrong dressage". A horse in pain is not looking and behaving like this.
A vision pleasure to watch these 2. Absolutely Magical. They are so RIGHT together. It is no question in my mind as to why they are making history together. I Love to watch the magic of them. Beautiful is the only thing that comes to mind.
I'm an endurance rider down to the bone and haven't a clue what rollkur is. Don't care, either. What I see is a talented, spectacularly beautiful animal and a talented rider working as a team and putting it all the Lady Gaga is icing on the cake. And I agree that if this horse were being abused or "forced", his body language wouldn't be as relaxed, focused and paying attention to his job and his team mate onboard. WELL DONE. Lovely to watch.
Absolutely beautiful! I hope you have a way of getting this to Gaga. She would LOVE it!! Too bad some of these people commenting know nothing about horses, but feel the need to comment.
The knee action is incredible. Definitely would never have a career as a show hunter :-) And I love the light colored Shadbelly. It makes for a lovely picture on such a dark horse.
For some odd reason I just kept expecting the horse to do a sliding stop..... Don't ask me why because I have no clue.....? Lol well fantastic video. Very beautiful!
Stunning! Absolutely stunning! I wish I had the money and access get back into dressage and learn how to be that "at one" with a horse. I never got beyond basic dressage...sigh
such an amazing stallion, love him!
ye rip
Thank you for putting that so eloquently. As an american I found her comment very offensive, but could not have put my feelings into words this respectfully. Bravo!
when I did therapeutic dressage it was hard. I trained every weekend for a few months. with a disability it can be tough but I won a few blue ribbons in my division :)
Amazing video!!!! Totilas looking fabulous as always. Can't believe that he missed out on WEG because of an old injury.
I can't believe that this great horse died yesterday :(
I just found out today, which is what brought me to RUclips to look at clips of him with his best partner: Edward Gal.
Τηε ολδερ ςε γετ, τηε υοθνφερ ςε διε😮
Absolutely stunning!! I could watch this horse and rider all day! Thanks for sharing!
Im...Im....SPEECHLESS! This is wonderful! :O
haha i love how you paired Toto's footsteps to the beat of the music! Love! Fan of both Totilas and Born this Way so perf!
I feel like I just took a final in a college class. My mind was blown from the effort of both horse and rider! Ooh, my brain just fizzled!
Nothing like seeing a horse foaming at the mouth to make my day complete. How can anyone with feeling even like this ? Blows my mind.
That moment, after the test...when u can finally praise your masterpiece for their stunning performance! Nothing like it!
this is one of my most favorite videos on youtube. that horse is such a gorgeous mover!
R.I.P. to one of the best Dressage horses to ever life.
Totilas died in the evening of Monday the 14th December 2020.
He was before he passed in a surgery treating a colic. According to the owners he woke up from the surgery and stood up but passed away not long after doing so.
With 20 years he was way to young to die and the world of Dressage will from now on miss one of it's most beloved horses.
There is one more star in the sky tonight.
This is beautiful! Very nice movements! It's really cool how the horse is doing the movements to the beat of the song!
I'm not trying to criticize Dressage but I just started dressage and I have to say its so stinking difficult. Every time I do the circle wrong and I get corrected I get so pissed off that I feel like giving up.
Meaghanne Scheering Many people don't give this sport the credit it is due. The pros make it look easy. Many will also criticize you for partaking in it (claims of cruelty). Ignorance is abundant. It's a beautiful sport because of those corrections you're receiving now. Have heart, stick with it and you will be rewarded after much hard work. Keep your dedication and don't get discouraged! I look forward to seeing you and your horse performing in the future!
+Meaghanne Scheering I haven't tried dressage yet, but I feel you, some of this stuff you just have a throw down about lol.
+Meaghanne Scheering Dont give up :) I am learning dressage and it really hard but I am already getting better. I bet that this rider was frustrated at many points when they were learning but they never gave up and now that are AWESOME!
+Meaghanne Scheering It is hard. I have tried it many times and training yourself and not to mention your horse can be very difficult. Stick with it because it is such an impressive sport and can be very rewarding. :)
+The Art2Ride I ride western. It seems that english riders don't take us seriously! Who cares? I was born this way!
beautiful horse, extremely well trained... can't help but feel that the nobility of this lovely horse is devalued by having him prance around for our amusement.
does anyone else think that his name reminds you of tortilla?
EquestrianEquitation lol
alexis hawkhand lol ya
alexis hawkhand me
I thought his name was Tortilla
I think his name reminds me of finnish word, sotilas. Sotilas is in english solider.
I can watch this all day!!!!
I did not say it is classical dressage, but extreme physical talent on Totilas's part
Sorry just had to say that the horse is really amazing but the method used for this one is called Rolkur. If you search it up it'll show you what it is and it does cause the horse pain. I actually looked into some other equestrian sports I enjoy or events and found what some people do is purely disgusting. This horse has been brave to go through the owners way of training and I'm glad that Rolkur is banned. Sorry if I ruined anything but it's best if people know what goes on behind the scenes. On another note there's so many good owners out there with horses that are complete super stars that are given kind methods to practice with what they do.
Really good job with this vid! Love it:) and the horse !!!
I'm new to learning about dressage, so please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the poll suppose to be the highest point? And this horses' poll is not, and he is broken at the 3rd vertebrae.
Megan Peterson it depends on the horses crest and if they are properly on the bit (by on the bit i mean with hindquarters tucked and back rounded, creating a 'soft' outline, not just having their head down all pretty.). Totilas has a very nicely built crest and is on the bit, so his poll will not be the highest point, you will find this is the same with many other advanced dressage horses, even if the crest is higher by only an inch or so. :)
Megan Peterson you are right.We have controverse discussions about this in Europe.We calles it "Rollkur" where the horses head is pulled to the chest which we think is animal abuse...Edward Gal is using this to make the horse "supple" but we think it`s abuse ...unfortunately the judges are giving high notes to such a presentation...we think this has nothing to do with classical riding
jetsat100
+jetsat100 I know Totilas has been put through Rollkur in the past (can't remember if it was with Edward or not) and yes it is cruel but Rollkur is not being used in this video, his neck is not hyper flexed and his chin is not tucked into his chest, if you look up some images on google you can see the difference. (in other words i completely agree with ultimate gamer (simon) on this issue.
+Alex Hood Gal was using rolkur on Totias as he do it on his new horse now.The Problem of the Rollkur is that the horse become supressed.We called it here "learned helplessness",and of course the physical Problems who runs after with this choice of riding.Its not importent if he do it on the show,but even on he show you can see that he is in a Rollkur -training.Look at older rider ,you can clearly see the difference.the horses were far more happy.Look for Christine Stückelberger or Rainer Klimke.
That is one BEAUTIFUL, BOUNCY stallion!!!
Jeez! People on this thread are asserting Totilas isn't happy to do dressage - but I know from being around dog breeders - breeders choose, from the litter, the one who has the correct personality & drive to enjoy, and thus succeed at, competing. And then, some said the Dressage movements are unnatural, that they must be forced. But Totilas was born to move the way he does, there would have been generations of careful selection to produce this inborn talent. From reading the thread I learned that Dutch Warmbloods like Totilas are specifically bred for Dressage just as Quarterhorses are bred with bodies perfect for the quarter mile. It's only common sense people! Let's enjoy the astounding, sublime performances of the elite athletes Totilas & Edward Gal.
LOL No, read 'Tug of War: Classical Versus Modern Dressage:' You clearly don't know what you are talking about.
Greetings Cuthulu! What dog breeders say about choosing their "picks" and what I see in my own dog's inborn gait - these were my points. Are you saying it's not the same with horses bred for dressage?
I won't be reading "Tug of War" but I did look up its reviews and I learned a lot just from those. A brief look at a few reviews showed none which disputed the author's stand against modern training methods. So thanks for the education but I kinda wish I didn't know - my awe at what I see in those RUclips videos is now tainted. But knowing is better.
How utterly gorgeous -- this video makes my heart sing. I can only hope to be 5% as good as this in (many) years. My little OTTB only dances by stepping on my foot, so far :) Congratulations both to you and to this magnificent horse.
I just learned today--over half a year after the fact--that the gorgeous black stallion, Totilas died in Dec 2020 of complications from colic, at only 20 years old. What a terrible, terrible shame. I've been watching videos of him with the best partner he ever had--Edward Gal. Rest in power, gorgeous boy.
Don’t be fooled. His owner did some horrific things to him.
He was born his way. Awesome horse, awesome rider. Thanks for the video.
The amazing son of the great Gribaldi, he sure is a great credit to his sire!
What a beautiful horse, and amazing at hos job! He obviously loves it. He moves so gracefully and who knew such a huge animal could be so agile and graceful.
He is probably most certainly my favourite dressage horse!!
i love it and the horse is beautiful and the moves too.
Every time I watch Totilas, my day gets ten times better.
The comments on this vid are a train wreck
love this video! And Totilas is awesome (:
and tail flick............and tail flick....................and tail flick........
i love you totilas!!!! awsome video jess derlis
It's absolutely beautiful. Totalis is amazing at what he does.
You really did an incredible job with this video. It doesn't hurt that Totilas is so talented with unmatched freedom in his shoulders and Edward Gal can ride! But your timing is perfect. Thanks so much. Never get tired of this.
I have been inspired. Someday, I'm gonna do a freestyle to the Doctor Who theme.
Absolutely amazing...thank you
I love watchin dressage and ,my thing, barrel racin😍😍😍
That's the thing about horse lovers, we can appreciate talent and beauty no matter what the sport. Me? Yeah put me on a trail and I'm happy, but I can enjoy dressage, barrel racing, eventing(as long as I'm not riding lol) and most any equine sport.
...what about me and penning and arena sorting :|
never seen any better. this horse is amazing it takes a lot of practice and this amount of practice is amazing!
There are good and bad trainers in every sport including Dressage. I used to run Dressage shows and I also knew Western shows since my dad's side of the family did this and I saw bad horse training and the need to win at all costs in both styles. As for injuries this happens in all horse sports. Like human athletes it's going to happen no matter how hard we try to have it not. I used to do demos where I would ride with a raw egg wrapped in my rein to show that the rein was a frame, not something pulled on or to abuse the horse with. I would then take off the bridle and saddle to show that it was my body that influenced the horse's natural way of going and not force or pressure training. I thought of myself as a natural rider where the horse was my partner, not an object to win with.
K
Thats so fricking cool 😱
Beautiful performance. I like very much like how he praises the horse here and there for doing a good job. Don't see that often anymore. A treat to watch.
Hahaha I really thought Totilas did freestyle to born this way for a minute 😂😂
I wish he had; it makes him far more interesting to watch. Loved Blue Horse Matine because she danced to the music.
The owners of this one don't appear to try to get him to hit the beat at all in the actual presentations, although he is definitely well-trained, beautiful and graceful, etc.
So I really enjoyed this version :)
omg. this is so awesome. they make it look so easy! great job to the beautiful horse and rider!
Dressage is beautiful. I honestly love it
wow, this is soo awesome, I never knew there was such a competition! love it!!
If you want to see properly executed dressage with grace watch YT video: 'Pas de trois of Klimke, Otto Crepin & Stuckelberger'
This absolutely made my day! :D I love it!!!
honestly im country and i like barrel racing and i watched this and i kinda like dressage but i would never be able to do this i like barrel racing better
+Barb English Same
True Legend, BEAUTIFUL horse!! AMAZING performance!
that's Rollkur that's what killed him...
his trainer trained him badly wrong :(
kitten loves the world Lol, that IS NOT rollkur. That is a simple COLLECTION. If you look up rollkur on the internet, there's an evident difference.
kitten loves the world Totilas has been forced to do rollkur (also known as hyperflexion or being over under the bit) previously in competition (and possibly in training) but in this video Totilas is not being forced into rollkur, he is collected with a rounded back and tucked hindquarters, meaning he is properly on the bit and working in a 'soft' outline, rollkur does not accomplish this effectively. For a good example of rollkur look it up online, it is when the horses neck is being put into a position of extreme flexion, causing the horse to tuck their chin to their chest and be under the bit.
@Jenaya Olsen agree...the only accurate comment here
great pirouette! Love that horse... I haven't seen many dressage competitions, and this may be the best horse I have ever seen.
It least the horse is trying. >.>
That's pretty cool! I loved it when she/he was kicking her legs up. So pretty! And the rhythm in her steps was so awesome! One of these days I'd like to actually see a live show of dressage. Thanks for sharing. :)
that extended trot is very bad those horses are getting wrecked because that horse is lifting his legs far to high!!
False collection will destroy your horse's body.
XxHeatherTheHorse Xx at least he is trying and performing
noRthern wOLVES he is but he also didn't settle to retirement and was diagnosed with a few diseases because of that
The horse is fine he wouldnt have done so well if so. 2 of My horses do dressage their fine
XxHeatherTheHorse Xx Saddleseat riding is worst, those horses are actually forced to do it and get abused if they don't. MOST dressage horses learn and do it naturally :)
This is Amazingly beautiful!!
I
LOL KIddo, if you don't know what collection is you don't understand dressage.
BronzeMustangGirl Bee So, you think abusing horse is completely ok and no one has the right to tell you to stop. Get over yourself.
***** The faults the horse is showing is a sign of abusive training, so it's important to critique the horse's movement. Every time a fault shows up the rider and trainer did something wrong. If you are against animal abuse then you need to be honest and direct about what has happened to this horse. For example, he's broken at the third and four vertebrae. That tells me that someone really did a number on this horse's mouth with a bit. The U'd back etc. is similar to a human lifting heavy weights with a U'd back. The only thing that will result is a damaged back and joints.
shirehorse91 Can you just let it go! First of all, I am with you on the 'true collection' side of things, and its okay for everyone to have their own opinions but whats not okay is hearing you shout at young girls and everyone else saying "You're not a dressage rider" and "You don't know anything" (especially for someone who is just starting out riding). It is rude, disrespectful and so arrogant. You don't need to make everyone else feel like shit, because you know "everything" and you are just the 'worlds best dressage rider'. I do not accuse you because of your opinion of collection, but I cannot stand people putting other people beneath them... Fucking bullshit. Just fucking stop it.
Jordana Watson Please, stop making an ass of yourself by telling everyone what they can and can't say. They don't know what they are talking about and that's reality. Don't promote yourself as an authority when you don't know what you are talking about. Sorry to pop your bubble, but that's is also reality.
Oh my gosh that os so beautiful
I agree, unnatural, forced paces are being mistaken for "flair" these days. The horses are full of tension and wrong angles and gives the sport an ugly face. They should ban the nosebands in competition and then see who can really RIDE a horse...
The original test was ride with a ribbon tide to his nose. If they weren't forcing the horse's head with a severe bit they wouldn't know what to do.
The people saying that Totilas' movements are ok, don't know anything about dressage.
Totilas is amazing!! He's an amazing horse!!!
Definitely not "born that way"
That front legs paddling movement is the product of abusive training.
Or maybe something called training? Just because some people do it doesn't mean everyone does
no need to share your stupidity. its called gaited.@Milkshake Rhino
+petrairene I wonder if they used soaring.. :c
I am in awe of the beautiful creatures that have more talent in their one hoof than I have in my entire body! Breathtaking to watch!
Beautiful horse! but l prefer taking him for a beach ride something they love to do.
Like no bit and no saddle just galloping on the beach all free, or with saddle or bit but in a good way, in the woods, they love it
i don't think that horse will respond without a bit O-O maybe with a nice all purpose saddle and bridle.
You're wrong, it's all about trust, l have been around horses, they even be trained on voice too
Before I bought my horse, she was trained to go tackless and with just a neck rope. She's currently six
Awww that's sweet, what's her name ?
I named her Kenna but I have yet to figure out how to change my picture from my phone :P
Absolutely amazing
Does anyone not see how upset this horse is , flicking tail , ears back , foaming mouth . this so called beautiful performance , is only achieved through pain , pain bit in the horse's mouth , big sparp ass Spurs digging into the horses sides . Nothing beautiful about this accept for the horse
So athlete's are being torchured because they are sweating? Have you done dressage?
+Alyssa yeo Actually, good riders don't use spurs. c: So, depending on if this a good rider (by that im meaning good as in good to their horses) you might not need to worry about the spurs. They're mainly for show. I know someone who wears spurs while she rides, but she never used them.
But how they use the bit it terrible. And that front leg paddling isn't natural. Your right as well- The horse isn't comfortable.
I wouldn't be surprised if they used soaring to get the horse to do that with it's legs. The poor boy/girl :c
I can see what you mean but the foaming of the mouth means that the horse is on the bit, and the ears are back to show that it is concentrated the horse would not be doing this if it's ears where back in anger, it would be bucking and refusing as for the spurs I have some myself and they are not sharp, they are blunt it is against rules and regulations for anything to be able to hurt the horse! they are used as an aid not as a weapon!
Clearly this person isn't very familiar with horses, foaming at the mouth is acceptance of the bit most people choose not to clean the horses mouth because it accentuates this acceptance, as for spurs proper use of spurs is not painful, western spurs which have a very prominent rowel are rolled not gouged they are an aid to give the desired pressure so as not to give an over accentuated leg cue but as others have said horses at this level don't need spurs. But to be honest before you knock on someone's chosen discipline maybe you should try to maintain the discipline and dedication to developing your craft to this level, just food for thought.
flicking tail: some horses do that when they're focusing on something or to line themselves up, sort of for balance. foaming mouth: means acceptance of the bit. ears back: yeah... that's a good thing. it means the horse is concentrating on what the rider is telling him to do and is prepared to obey the cues. My gelding almost always has his ears pricked backwards when we're working. When they're pinned all the way back, pressed to the head is when you have a problem and are most likely about to eat dirt. so yeah do your research and actually ride a horse a few times before listening to PETA and bashing on other people that know what they're doing.
While I abhor the practice of "rollkur", Edward Gal is an incredibly talented rider. Totilas is a "once-in-a-lifetime" horse. Just wish they had not used rollkur to train him.
Thanks for the video. You did a wonderful job with the video. Thanks for sharing.
I dont critisize dressage....i critisize the fact that a dressage-horse is beautiful without looking like he's about to choke...Stop rollkur-riding!!!
Absolutely amazing!!!
This isn't very good dressage it is meant to be about fluidity and suppleness but this is forcing the poor horse to do stuff that it doesn't want to if you want to see proper dressage search Charlotte Du Jardin and Valegro she is my idol and anyone that thinks that forcing horses to do things is good have obviously never ridden in thier life and they just think that they are being cool by pretending!
YES I Love Valegro. When I watch that horse I am amazed. He has such wonderful and natural suspension. The extended trot is animated but it is obvious it is all his own animation and suspension that is coming out. It is not mechanical at all! This is the mark of a happy horse. His has almost no tail swishing, his mouth is almost never open, plus he is about 90% of the time on the vertical! You can tell he rides off the leg and not the face...as it should be! It is obvious to me that his rider really enjoys riding him and that they have a bond. That's what I like to see in dressage, not some pretty horse that is being forced. It is always so sad to me that horse don't get to choose their owners or riders. The world would be a better place if they could. Totilas is obviously extremely naturally gifted, think how much better he could have been if he was just started the right way, and with a talented kind rider like Charlotte.
His rider did an amazing job conditioning this horse...even during his 1 and 2's you can tell that he is not struggling with balance or fatigue as some dressage horse do. You can all ways tell a well conditioned horse from lack of tail swishing in the 1 and 2's. Tail swishing to me means lots of trying going on! Or lots of annoyance.
chemma elotte Shut up!! Totilas was bred to enjoy and move like he does, so stop criticizing him! No one needs to know about how much you think he's "forced". He's not at all, get your tiny brain straight! Keep your RUDE comments to yourself and go cry about it. I'm tired of people just assuming Totilas is forced and doesn't like doing dressage, this video is obviously for people who LIKE Totilas, so go find a stupid "Dressage Hater" forum, I'm sure they would LOVE to hear your dumb concerns.
CloverGroveStables Don't be ridiculous.
shirehorse91 I didn't ask for your opinion. You can't change my love for Totilas or my mind. Go on a different page that is about hating him.
OMG!!!That's brill the best dressage test i have seen maybe cos it goes well with the music!!
ppl just shut up! there is nothing wrong with Totalis! just get over it! it doesnt hurt them! they bred for this and the r born to love to do it. it comes from the heart. so just stop thinking its abuse cuz its not. soooo shut up.
ok, we;'ll all shut up If you know anything about a horse's body language or classical dressage you'd know that this is BS riding… forced "showy" paces that are technically incorrect according to the old masters' guidelines.
Annelle Muller News flash!! These are 1200 pound animals... If they didn't want to do dressage then they wouldn't. Duhhhh!!! Besides your probably the kind of person who thinks horse pulls are cruel too... So why am I even bothering?!?!?!? (I
Megan Anspach You clearly don't know THAT much about horses… or animal behaviour/psychology. Go get a little more life experience and then reconsider your comments.
Annelle Muller Sooo, guess what. I pretty much LIVE on a quarter horse ranch and I'm in pony club, and my favorite hobby is riding my horse. Not trying to boast, but do you even own a horse? Because if you did, you probably wouldn't be posting ignorant comments like that.
Megan Anspach Sooo guess what. I pretty much LIVE on my champion horse Duke (Kayuse XD I dunno how to spell his dressage/racehorse name)
Beautiful horse and great rider. Thanks!
Does anyone know what they do to this horse!? This is NOT beautiful! It's abuse! Please search that up!
Theres a difference, if your talking about Rolkur. These horses heads are put in a frame, Rolkur is where there nose is always touching their chest. This is not Rolkur because they were being aided into a frame not forced, and Rolkur horses have their heads tied like that for hours, while these horses were normal.
Rollkür is not only when the horse's head is touching the chest..
Actually its sad to say Totilas is often Rolkurred. Rolkur doesn't just mean head is touching chest. It is severe over extension. Totilas was abused after his first rider. It reflects in his riding greatly.
XxNORTHERNlightsAJxX thank you omg it's terrible how they get horses to do this
Ausgebeutet bis zum Letzten, ohne Rücksicht. Mir kommen heute noch die Tränen, wenn ich an seine Geschichte denke. Die Profitgier stand jedem ins Gesicht geschrieben.
His strides are uneven and the toe flick is a fault. This fake dressage is destroying and killing these beautiful horses. Stop supporting it.
ojojojojojoje At 0:38. An extended trot is not performed that way.
His strides are only un-even because that's a heavy horse like a cob or draught - it wont be able to do them properly - as long as he's having fun that's all that matters
Sophie Calvert No, his strides are uneven because he's unbalanced. Crippling pain is not fun. It's sick what they are doing to this horse.
For those who are unable to present anything remotely similar to that of Gal the only thing left - to tell imaginary stories about "pain" and "wrong dressage". A horse in pain is not looking and behaving like this.
Volha Sasnouskaya LOL Silly person. Read up on the fake dressage industry and stop being ignorant. These horses don't last longer than 6 years.
A vision pleasure to watch these 2. Absolutely Magical. They are so RIGHT together. It is no question in my mind as to why they are making history together. I Love to watch the magic of them. Beautiful is the only thing that comes to mind.
This is just gorgeous. Totilas dances like no other.
That was amazing!!
Er war so wundervoll 😍
I'm an endurance rider down to the bone and haven't a clue what rollkur is. Don't care, either. What I see is a talented, spectacularly beautiful animal and a talented rider working as a team and putting it all the Lady Gaga is icing on the cake. And I agree that if this horse were being abused or "forced", his body language wouldn't be as relaxed, focused and paying attention to his job and his team mate onboard. WELL DONE. Lovely to watch.
this is simply beautiful. how can we help children of the inner city share in this wonderful experience?
real nice video, brings back good memories
Absolutely beautiful! I hope you have a way of getting this to Gaga. She would LOVE it!! Too bad some of these people commenting know nothing about horses, but feel the need to comment.
Totilas - Born and bred!! You are a champ
breath-taking... phenomenal horse, phenomenal trainer. hats off.
Oui..you were born this way..wonderful!!
AMAZING PERFORMANCE!!!
The way he pull his haunches right down for a Piaffe is truly amazing! I could watch him all day!
This is incredible.
The knee action is incredible. Definitely would never have a career as a show hunter :-) And I love the light colored Shadbelly. It makes for a lovely picture on such a dark horse.
What an athlete! Absolutely gorgeous!!!!!
RIP beautiful baby boy
Just Breathtaking !
For some odd reason I just kept expecting the horse to do a sliding stop..... Don't ask me why because I have no clue.....? Lol well fantastic video. Very beautiful!
beautiful flying changes
The horses live to perform. They love doing this, just like a well trained dog enjoys performing for his owner. Such a joy to witness.
This is soooooo awesome! What a horse! :0
Wow that horse is gorgeous AND utterly amazing!!
wow! that was amazingly awesome
Stunning! Absolutely stunning! I wish I had the money and access get back into dressage and learn how to be that "at one" with a horse. I never got beyond basic dressage...sigh