Totilas to get new rider - to be announced next week

Taffyhorse

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As per H&H news page. Paul Schockemohle (sp?) has said Totila's new rider will be announced next week and he will be competed from next Spring. To go to a German rider apparently.

Any ponderings on who this might be? Isabell Werth perhaps? Although she's got Satchmo and Warum Nicht but I think they are both in their mid teens now.

Hmm, will be very interesting to find out who - and how Totilas performs with a new rider, I don't think I'd want to be in their shoes and a bit gutting for Edward Gal to see the horse out and about with someone else.
 

langside

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some very clever people predicted it would be Matthias Rath when the news broke that Totilas was sold and i think there right
although there was also questions re Totilas' soundness
 

FrodoBeutlin

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I am 100% certain it's Matthias, I have heard it from too good a source.

Isabell has said very clearly she would refuse the ride as she wants to bring the horses on herself. Plus now she has El Santo who is a total superstar :)
 

kerilli

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I am 100% certain it's Matthias, I have heard it from too good a source.

Isabell has said very clearly she would refuse the ride as she wants to bring the horses on herself. Plus now she has El Santo who is a total superstar :)

Gosh. Glad to hear she has a superstar coming up again.
What's Matthias Rath like then? Other than a very lucky man... ;) ;)
 

Festive_Felicitations

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OH God if Kerrilli gets the ride on Toltilas she will be unbearable!!!
All ready a highly respected fountain of info on anything XC or jumping realated on here, she would also become a total DR know it all !!! :p :) ;)

I feel sorry for Edward, but do not envy who ever takes over as they have some very big and impressive shoes to fill!
 

jessamess

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I feel so so so sorry for edward still, my heart sinks :(

But I have to say I am very intrigued to see someone else ride... hmmmm

I would love for Totilas to not go as well for another rider so we can see him being ridden by someone, and then go back to edward!!!
 

horsedances

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Ofcourse it's Mathias Alexander Rath, although he and his parents have stated over and over again that it wasn't true and that they were not interested blablabla.

This whole soap serie and denial was just to get the pressure off the sales of Totilas to Germany. Mathias has been threatened many times on his guestbook by fans of Totilas. Not only from Dutch fans but from fans all over the world.

All other German topriders have turned down the ride on Totilas, because they stated "There is nothing to win for us" . "If we win everybody will say it's Totilas, and if we
don't win its our fault" . Mathias Alexander Rath however is a very ambitious youngster with some very ambitious and wealthy parents who probably has decided to take the risc.

At the most recent interview with the father of MAR, he stated "it's logistically impossible, because the horse is stabled 500 miles away from us, and our major goal is to let MAR finish his study at the university of Frankfurt".

However after Hickstead and the Euros at Windsor the owners of Totilas stated that they never would sell Totilas.

The value of promises in the world is almost zero, but the value of promises in the dressage world is far below zero.
 

kerilli

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horsedances, I fear that's true. huge shame.
felicity, i don't kid myself that i could ride the horse. i'd love an hour on him (with a neckstrap for balance, i bet he's un-sit-to-able) but i know i couldn't truly ride him.
just hope for the horse's sake that Matthias can, I guess.
I remember when Tigre was sold and nobody else could get a tune out of him. I hope that doesn't happen to Totilas, it'd be heartbreaking.
 

TarrSteps

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To be fair, if it is Rath, he's not exactly some kid coming off ponies! http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2010/06/15/matthias-alexander-rath-germanys-new-number-one

Sure, he's got money behind him - lots of money - but that's not exactly unheard of in riding, dressage especially, where there's a long tradition of very well off people using their own money to be able to ride at the highest levels. There is a very popular, successful right now with that sort of family funding behind them ;) and no one thinks it takes away from how well they ride . . .

Gal won't get citizenship. You have to live in Germany for something like 10 years or marry a German national. Most other citizenship changes have been people who have either lived in their new country for years or people who conveniently produce a relative with the right nationality in order to switch teams. Riding is a big deal in Germany but I doubt it's THAT big a deal. It still sucks for Gal but he's made some other good GP horses an no doubt he'll make more in the future so his team status in Holland is not dependent on that one horse.

I can totally see why the established Germans don't want to touch the horse (although I'm sure they'd all be interested to have a sit on him) as it is a no win situation for someone already at the top. But for someone coming up, offered the option, why not? Of course there will be a massive amount of scrutiny but I get the feeling there's a lot of people who want whomever takes the ride to fail utterly, in which case, why not take a punt? Worst case, everyone's opinions are confirmed, best case everyone is surprised. And he's still a good horse, even with another flag on his saddle cloth. Imagine what having that experience would do for someone's riding?? It would be worth it just for that!

From PS's perspective, it's a bit mixed to compete the horse again, but having someone less experienced seems the better choice. If the horse didn't go as well for someone else at the same level that might count against his "ridability" but if he goes for someone less experienced, even if he doesn't do as well, it will only help his breeding reputation. And if he gives the Germans another good score, even if it's not the winning one, they're not going to sneeze at it.
 
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