CalllyH
Well-Known Member
I just think the horse seems to have lost his spark, whether that's due o the new rider who knows. He just looks dull in his coat and eyes and tense in the photo
Totilas Time!
- Thread starter Halfstep
- Start date
FrodoBeutlin
Well-Known Member
Regarding the coat: it was the most awful day in Munich yesterday, really gloomy and grey - terrible day to take photos! Definitely nothing wrong with the coat - just the wrong light for the photos.
FrodoBeutlin
Well-Known Member
A very short video clip from the warm-up (Toto looks great IMHO) - just to give you an idea of how crowded it was!!!! Remember it was a Thursday, and the area around the warm-up arena is normally virtually empty!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QnOAK9LBtI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QnOAK9LBtI
ArcticFox
Well-Known Member
very very crowded
(nice to see some people warming up with hats on
)
(nice to see some people warming up with hats on
)
vallin
Well-Known Member
That warm up is crazy! To me the test just looked a bit conservative, which tbh, I don't think you can blame him for! I don't think it's inconcievable to think that MR is using his first few shows to let the pressure die off before pushing for the big one IYSWIM...but time will tell! I think there were some areas in the test that looked very nice, some not so. Good Luck to him
Chloe..x
Well-Known Member
Completely different horse to the one seen with Edward Gal, it was quite sad to watch actually. The horse didn't seem to have the "finesse" as seen previously and its pirouettes were nothing compared to the "old" Totilas. I think the scores are aided by the horses image, it was a fairly average test and I feel if the horse wasn't Totilas then the score would of been in the 60's similar to that of Emma Hindle
OneInAMillion
Well-Known Member
I agree with this.
I also think T had lost something about him. He usually goes into the arena looking relaxed and ready and he just looked a little worried and not as happy as before.
chestnut cob
Well-Known Member
I agree with this. I've never been a Totilas fan anyway, does nothing at all for me, but I could always see he had a spark that people loved. He was very flashy and always seemed effortless (even to a non-fan!) however that video/test just looked very mechanical..sort of going through the motions. All looked a bit odd and strained.
Maybe it's simply a case of a new rider being very conservative at his first show with him. Didn't someone publish pics of Totilas in heart bar shoes? Maybe there is something physical that means he just isn't on form anymore...
MillionDollar
Well-Known Member
FB you can't just put one or 2 pics up, it's killing me
I actually could not cope with that! Crazy.
On a very sad note (from me) I'm so glad they've gone back to big fat plaits on Toto instead of those horrid little ones he had for the press conference.
I actually could not cope with that! Crazy.
On a very sad note (from me) I'm so glad they've gone back to big fat plaits on Toto instead of those horrid little ones he had for the press conference.
Prince33Sp4rkle
Well-Known Member
after comments on here, I was prepared to hate the test, but actually, didnt...............yes there were bobbles and yes he looked a little tense, but to my eye, he didnt look unhappy.
the pressure on MR would have been immense, and impossible not to let the horse feel any of that tension, and it looked to me that Toto was picking up on that and worrying about why his navigator felt tense, not worrying about the work/test.
I thought he looked more through from behind in the extended trot too.
the pressure on MR would have been immense, and impossible not to let the horse feel any of that tension, and it looked to me that Toto was picking up on that and worrying about why his navigator felt tense, not worrying about the work/test.
I thought he looked more through from behind in the extended trot too.
Tempi
Well-Known Member
Wow, that is a big crowd for the warmup!!
PalominoMare
Well-Known Member
LOL! Me too.
j1ffy
Well-Known Member
Having just watched the test, I have to say that there are some very hard taskmasters on here!!! My (entirely unqualified) thoughts are:
- His extended trot looks better - far more active behind (in fact, I'd say that for all the trot work)
- He was tense in the tempi changes, but he's always found them the hardest area
- Totilas looked extremely exhuberant and MAR did a good job to keep him under wraps Hardly surprising given all those people crowded around to watch, with one woman patting his neck as he walked in (it may have been a groom, I couldn't see too clearly, but it looked like a random punter!)
- The canter pirouettes could have been in a Doma Vaquera display, however see previous point!
- The German and Dutch systems are quite different, I'm sure there's been an element of re-training and we all know that there's a transition period. Remember when Tiger Woods had to re-build his swing..?
- It looked like a very grey (and damp? FB - how was the weather?) day, I doubt any horse looked their best!
- MAR looked like he was going to be physically sick during his first salute. To hold it together when he was clearly so nervous is an achievement in itself
Like many others, I was (and am) devastated that Totilas was taken away from EG, for both horse and rider. But just as some judges are likely to be wowed by Totilas' reputation, I think many observers will be biased by their emotions about EG.
Totilas is still an amazing horse and it's a privilege to watch him. I'll be following him closely and I only hope that MAR brings the best out of him in future.
- His extended trot looks better - far more active behind (in fact, I'd say that for all the trot work)
- He was tense in the tempi changes, but he's always found them the hardest area
- Totilas looked extremely exhuberant and MAR did a good job to keep him under wraps Hardly surprising given all those people crowded around to watch, with one woman patting his neck as he walked in (it may have been a groom, I couldn't see too clearly, but it looked like a random punter!)
- The canter pirouettes could have been in a Doma Vaquera display, however see previous point!
- The German and Dutch systems are quite different, I'm sure there's been an element of re-training and we all know that there's a transition period. Remember when Tiger Woods had to re-build his swing..?
- It looked like a very grey (and damp? FB - how was the weather?) day, I doubt any horse looked their best!
- MAR looked like he was going to be physically sick during his first salute. To hold it together when he was clearly so nervous is an achievement in itself
Like many others, I was (and am) devastated that Totilas was taken away from EG, for both horse and rider. But just as some judges are likely to be wowed by Totilas' reputation, I think many observers will be biased by their emotions about EG.
Totilas is still an amazing horse and it's a privilege to watch him. I'll be following him closely and I only hope that MAR brings the best out of him in future.
Perfect_Pirouette
Well-Known Member
Can't watch the test at work but let's face it, it was always going to be a touch act to follow and I feel incredilby sorry for MR, the pressure must just be enourmous.
I'm sure things may look more relaxed and polished in the future. There was just way too much hype surrounding their first outing.
I'm sure things may look more relaxed and polished in the future. There was just way too much hype surrounding their first outing.
TarrSteps
Well-Known Member
I'd agree.
Re tension, can you imagine what that horse thought when he went into a the warm up!
Yes, he might have been less tense with someone he'd known for years (although the horse went well for someone before EG, too), in his familiar system but that would have been a shock for any horse! Even big competitions don't usually pull a crowd like that for the collecting ring.As far as the score being "political" . . . plus sa change, plus sa meme chose. I don't think anyone believes that's a new phenomena.
But that's not his fault, is it? And it doesn't take away from what he did do well. And it's many points lower than some tests the horse has done in the past. Plus, MR has done reasonably well on other horses in the past, he's hardly unknown at that level, if I'D shown up and ridden the horse and it got a score like that, then yes, something would have been SERIOUSLY wrong It will all blow over. Mattine, Salinero, Rembrandt, Grannus . . .there have been contentious horses in the past, there will be more in the future. That's the fun of it.
Halfstep
Well-Known Member
Well, I'm glad that they looked so much better today. And I agree, no one would have wanted to be Matthias cantering down that centre line yesterday. Totilas touched a lot of people who witnessed him in action with Edward. I think it's easy to forget how jaw dropping they were- because we had never seen a horse like him. Now our eyes are more used to Totilas, and we hsve the other super horses who are coming up behind him (Uthopia, Girasol, Valegro, Dablino) to compare. Also, Edward gal is the master of test riding and transitions; a hard act to follow.
mystiandsunny
Well-Known Member
Me no likey :'( . Wasn't a bad GP test for a lad his age with a schoolmaster horse, but compared to the breathtaking harmony of Totilas with EG - a masterpiece destroyed. I found myself desperately hoping that it was all just competition nerves and it will improve. I loved watching him before and am incredibly glad that we're in an age where everything is recorded for posterity on YouTube. I'm sure EG didn't do everything right, but the harmony between him and that horse - that was worth watching.
:'( . Wasn't a bad GP test for a lad his age with a schoolmaster horse, but compared to the breathtaking harmony of Totilas with EG - a masterpiece destroyed. I found myself desperately hoping that it was all just competition nerves and it will improve. I loved watching him before and am incredibly glad that we're in an age where everything is recorded for posterity on YouTube. I'm sure EG didn't do everything right, but the harmony between him and that horse - that was worth watching.-Cadence-
Well-Known Member
Definitely looking forward to my visit to the Rath's this summer!
First things first, thats an awful lot of pressure for a comparatively young partnership to be under, IMO he might be going out a few times to get used to this pressure rather than to win.
Secondly, I actually think a lot of his work has improved trot work for example, he seems to be working a lot more from behind rather than going in with the OTT front end and a mediocre hind. As someone else also mentioned, the horse looked on edge the entire time, I dont know whether I could have contained that energy to produce what was still a good test.
Also, and Im prepared to be jumped on here, but I think its a little unfair to judge the test based on what you think he could have done with Gal, horses change with age so its rather prescriptive to say MAR has ruined the horse, Edward could do better etc.
First things first, thats an awful lot of pressure for a comparatively young partnership to be under, IMO he might be going out a few times to get used to this pressure rather than to win.
Secondly, I actually think a lot of his work has improved trot work for example, he seems to be working a lot more from behind rather than going in with the OTT front end and a mediocre hind. As someone else also mentioned, the horse looked on edge the entire time, I dont know whether I could have contained that energy to produce what was still a good test.
Also, and Im prepared to be jumped on here, but I think its a little unfair to judge the test based on what you think he could have done with Gal, horses change with age so its rather prescriptive to say MAR has ruined the horse, Edward could do better etc.
horsedances
Well-Known Member
After watching both the GP and the GPS of Rath and Totilas at :
http://www.topdressage.tv/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=2
I have to say that my new favourites are Carl & Uthopia
http://www.topdressage.tv/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=2
I have to say that my new favourites are Carl & Uthopia
zxp
Well-Known Member
Dear Lord - you are a hard crowd to please! I thought MR did a sterling job. A definate improvement between the first and second tests, and considering the huge pressure and expectation, I for one thought he did great.
I have always been totally under this horses spell, and I LOVED him with EG, BUT all good things must come to an end. And this is defiatley a new chapter for both the horse (with different training methods) and an amazing opportunity for MR (even though he was already successful! he is hardly an unknown!).
If this horse and rider combo had come in and it wasnt "totilas the wonder horse" I think everyone would be saying "what a wonderful horse / partnership". So yes, they arent as established as EG was, but I think MR has proven there is alot more to come, and that is exciting.
I have always been totally under this horses spell, and I LOVED him with EG, BUT all good things must come to an end. And this is defiatley a new chapter for both the horse (with different training methods) and an amazing opportunity for MR (even though he was already successful! he is hardly an unknown!).
If this horse and rider combo had come in and it wasnt "totilas the wonder horse" I think everyone would be saying "what a wonderful horse / partnership". So yes, they arent as established as EG was, but I think MR has proven there is alot more to come, and that is exciting.
FrodoBeutlin
Well-Known Member
FB you can't just put one or 2 pics up, it's killing me
I actually could not cope with that! Crazy.
On a very sad note (from me) I'm so glad they've gone back to big fat plaits on Toto instead of those horrid little ones he had for the press conference.
Sorry, will do a picture thread at some point
Totally agree re. plaits, I can't stand the German plaits, much prefer the big fat Dutch ones
coreteam1
Well-Known Member
I think he looks great. It's good to see him back