Valegro or Totilas??

Valegro for me - I love the softness.

Edward and Totilas were amazing, helped by his freestyle music, real goosebump moment.

But I would rather that dressage horses were ridden and trained in the same way as Valegro, the ultimate harmony.
 
Valegro! If you look at the individual marks for the Olympia freestyle, they scored 10's across the board for harmony, Charlotte never looked as if she was having to contain the energy, she was directing it. Whereas with Totilas although I think EG is a fabulous rider, it sometimes looked as if he was struggling to contain all that power. Wonderful and exciting to watch but sometimes a bit on the edge.
 
If you pinned me down I'd take Valegro over Totilas.
If I get to take option no.3, I'd have Glocks Undercover, Dances With Wolves or don't quote me on the name, I think it's Kingsley Siro?

Valegro is completely amazing, his partnership with Charlotte is very special, but he just doesn't push my buttons and make me excited like the other 3.
 
Every time I watch Valegro and Charlotte perform, I instantly start blubbing. It is quite daft, but there is a harmony and beauty in that partnership that is as moving as listening to a haunting piece of music. So I am definitely team Valegro.
 
Valegro.

Totilas brings tears to my eyes too but for all the wrong reasons. Last time I watched him on you tube, all I could see was a horse trying his heart out, but just trapped between bit and spurs.
 
Valegro - I wouldn't want to see Gal ride Valegro but would have loved to see Totilas trained by the Hester team: that could have been something amazing. After watching Charlotte and Valegro beat Gal and Totilas' record, I went back and watched them again and was suprised by how forced everything seemed. He just looked like a coiled spring that Gal was having the exert a huge amount of force to keep from springing apart, that all the energy was fizzing the front end (mostly in the front legs). While Valegro may not have the same 'wow' factor, my goodness does he make it look effortless. I very much look forward to seeing what the young horses being produced by Carl at the moment do in a few years.
 
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Double_choc_lab said:
Valegro. Totilas' action was almost bordering on the "strange" for me. Too exaggerated.
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Me too, I really really dont like the whole over extended front leg thing, sounds weird but I think it looks like some strange insect movement!

I feel sorry for Totilas, yes, I dont like his movement but I think he and Edward did have a partnership, it all ended a bit sad.
 
Garnet said:
but now with Valegro, the dressage world is seeing similar scores, but with a softness that I don't believe Totilas could equal. So my feeling is that Valegro has "raised the bar again" from Totilas because of his softness and relaxation and I am thrilled that the judges agree and are rewarding Charlotte and Carl for their sympathetic riding and training methods.
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I agree although Totilas always left me feeling slightly uncomfortable I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Valegro looks effortless like a little bouncy happy pony who tries and looks like he loves his job. Totilas looked uncomfortable, jerky and stressed in comparison.
 
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I like Totilas best. Not down to the horse how he is ridden, after all. Can I have him for xmas please?

*Disclaimer - No, I could not hope to ride him, I just like him :)
 
Toto.

I was in awe of Valegro's test the other day, it was beautiful, soft and so enjoyable to watch but it didn't give me butterflies like Toto's one did. I love Blueberry's way of going, he's such a happy springy horse having a great time but I still have Toto's Olympia performance saved on my computer for when I need a kick up the ass to do some dressage. Perhaps it was the music/floorplan...I dunno.

In answer to the question I would have Toto, and should I be able to keep my ass in the saddle I would like to take him out to do some fun stuff like hunting and a bit of clear round jumping perhaps ;)
 
Valegro. He just seems so happy doing his job which I find great to look at!
He is apparently really into his food I suspect that he may just be thinking "if I do a good job I may get a apple!!!!!" :D
 
Valegro for me but my all time fav will always be blue hors matine beautifull stunning mare with movement to die for. I can not watch that winning test with out tear in eye :(
 
Hmmm, difficult one: on balance I'd say Valegro, as much for the affect his way of going and sympathetic method of training has had on marking and is being rewarded in dressage standards and judging - hope it's going to be a game changer for the whole sport! But Totilas is/was SO fabulous; that piaffe has not been equalled, same with the canter pirouettes.....
 
Obviously Valegro is very correct, but I'd always choose to watch Totilas (with Gal). I actually prefer Undercover and Uthopia to Valegro as well - there's something about that horse I just don't find very exciting.
 
I think sometimes the exaggerated front leg action of Totilas made it appear that he was less active behind because there was such a difference between front and hind. Valegro makes a more symmetrical picture.

I am not a dressage expert though so don't shoot me down!
 
Totilas was stunning with EG but sadly appears to have gone into oblivion.He set the bar but for me Valegro is the better horse,the epitome of a well balanced and happy horse at the highest level,ridden in a wonderfully harmonious way.Had he remained entire i wonder if his actions would have been even more exuberant.
 
There's a thread over in the dressage section of the Chronicle of the Horse Forum, a bunch of grumpy Yanks complaining that Charlotte and Valegro were overscored and whinging about her music. Perception, eh? What's dressage like! :)
 
Caol Ila said:
There's a thread over in the dressage section of the Chronicle of the Horse Forum, a bunch of grumpy Yanks complaining that Charlotte and Valegro were overscored and whinging about her music. Perception, eh? What's dressage like! :)
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Just shows how much of it is really down to personal opinion. ;)

I'm not a lover of exaggerated front leg action myself, looks so odd to me.
 
PolarExpress said:
Thank you for saying what I failed to . . . completely agree with this. Even my (very) non-horsey husband could see the difference wrt softness between Fine Time/Valegro and most of the others . . . open, willing, soft - I can't say relaxed because that little chestnut is obviously quite a hot horse at the moment, but the difference in the training methods are clear to see. Carl/Charlotte's horses are turned out, hack and are only schooled 4 times a week . . . these and other methods produce what we see - wonderful results and a really pleasing picture.

P
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Agree with this, I like that Carls horses are competing at the highest level and yet are still allowed to be horses
 
vanrim said:
Oh dear I am the only one who prefers Totilas. I think Valegro is technically more correct overall but for me only Edward and Totilas brought me out in goosebumps. I still think their piaffe and canter pirouettes cannot be bettered. I agree that with Rath there is not the same special partnership.
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No me too, Toto with Gal is one of 2 tests to actually give me goosebumps and bring a tear to me eye - the other one being Blue Hors Matinee, I can still hear her piaffe music.
With regards to Gal looking like he needed to "contain" the energy more, Toto is a very hot stallion, I think it is just the way he is.
 
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