Would you use Totilas and why?

[Hollycat]

Just wondering, now Totilas has his KWPN approval, would you consider using him as a breeding stallion?

I love his mind and concentration - if he passes those on to his babies my answer would be yes, yes, yes. Otherwise, I think it would be no

For me at 1.75 he is too tall and I am not overfond of his front leg action - though I would be very interested to see him trotted up in hand or loose as I suspect this is a product of his training. Of course he is BB (black and beautiful) so babies probably very marketable. I would also be interested as to whether he was previously put forward for approval and the reasons for him not being approved. I have read his mare line is incredibly strong which makes him interesting other than his own peformance success.

You are all a lot more experienced than me so iI would be interested to see whether people would consider using him and why

 

[eventrider23]

Well I have it on very good authority from a very well respected vet that has seen him recently, that he is as near perfectly put together as a horse can be when you look at him stood up.

 

[Bossanova]

He appears very trainable, amenable and, of course, has serious amounts of quality.

Being an eventer, I'd love to put a tb mare to him and see what I got. Sadly I suspect the stud fee would be rather restrictive!

 

[Hollycat]

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Well I have it on very good authority from a very well respected vet that has seen him recently, that he is as near perfectly put together as a horse can be when you look at him stood up.

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Thats interesting

There are some very nice comfo shots on Edward Gals' site and he looks a very nice boy. However, not everyone likes the same thing in a horse and what is 'perfect' comfo to some is not so desireable to other people. Horses for courses and all that. It is because he does look so nice that I wondered whether he HAD ever been put up for grading

I do think he's gorgeous and loved his test in so many ways! For me more than anything it would depend on whether my mare was compatible (not that I have one at the moment or am likely to in the near future).

I have read (somewhere else on HHO) he will not be used for studwork for a few years yet as he has his career to get on with, but it will be very interesting to see what he does produce down the line.

 

[AmyMay]

No. He is the oddest looking animal, and attitude and talent aside, if they aint' correct - then I wouldn't use them.

That said, his performance last night was amazing!

 

[S_N]

No, I don't think I would. However, I am kinda kicking myself for not using Gribaldi 2 years ago, as my mare carries tenuously similar bloodlines to Totilas' dam - so I might have had quite a commercial yearling on my hands now.

 

[christine48]

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No. He is the oddest looking animal, and attitude and talent aside, if they aint' correct - then I wouldn't use them.

That said, his performance last night was amazing!

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What bit about him do you consider to be odd? Looks good to me, I'd use him, he's so athletic.

 

[toomanyhorses26]

I think he would add something to any mare he was put to - he is incredibly athletic,has a good brain and attitude to work and is one of the most uphill horses I have seen in a long time - by some reports though not the easiest on the ground but think I could forgive that

 

[almorton]

from a pure trainablilty and temperament stance, oh yes! that it, if i ever give up jumping!

 

[christine48]

I'd even consider using him on my jumping bred filly. He looks to have a good brain and athletism, and anything that can use it's shoulders like that would surely jump.

 

[JanetGeorge]

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No. He is the oddest looking animal,

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I wish I had a few THAT odd!! Do you have one? Or perhaps a Lab and a white stick!

 

[AmyMay]

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No. He is the oddest looking animal,

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I wish I had a few THAT odd!! Do you have one? Or perhaps a Lab and a white stick!

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Is there really any need to be quite so rude? Conformationally I think he is odd. he is incredibly short coupled, and really stuffy in front. That is my opinion.

However, the beauty of this game is that beauty is often in the eye of the beholder. So what is an ugly bug to me - is a swan to you.

White stick or no..........

 

[charliebo]

Not sure anyone should accuse Totilas of being "stuffy in front"!
Would love to use him. Very good conformation and an athelete. Probably out of my price range though. What do you predict his stud fee to be?

 

[toomanyhorses26]

If that horse is stuffy in front then there is no help for the rest of us

 

[carthorse]

My Showmaker filly's dam has the same sire as Totilas dam, so I would love to put her to Gribaldi but not thinking of breeding with her for quite a few years

 

[Doris68]

Errrr - conformation poor or not - the boy performs and he obviously has a great temperament......so what is the problem?

If you don't have a good temperament to begin - then you have nothing with which to work!

 

[3BayGeldings]

[ QUOTE ]
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No. He is the oddest looking animal,

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I wish I had a few THAT odd!! Do you have one? Or perhaps a Lab and a white stick!

[/ QUOTE ]

Is there really any need to be quite so rude? Conformationally I think he is odd. he is incredibly short coupled, and really stuffy in front. That is my opinion.

However, the beauty of this game is that beauty is often in the eye of the beholder. So what is an ugly bug to me - is a swan to you.

White stick or no..........

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Surely he's one horse that could never be called stuffy in front?! What else is wrong with his confo, in your opinion AmyMay?

 

[toomanyhorses26]

think gribaldi's is around1200 euros so would expect his to be there abouts

 

[Maesfen]

I don't actually like him to look at, he's not pleasing to my eye. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with him, I just don't like him and ability or not, if his temperament is dodgy, then no matter how good he is, I wouldn't use him. Cutting my nose of to spite my face quite possibly in one way but if I don't like the look or character of an animal why would I knowingly, want it or his progeny in my stable?

 

[3BayGeldings]

I really don't see how people 'don't like the look of him'. But, we all see out of different eyes and all that! And can i ask why you don't like his temperment or character?

He looks like he's got a perfect temperment from what i've seen.

 

[madmare22]

I love him, but dont think i would use him as a sire, but never say never, would probably use his sire though. The reason being his hotness and i like hot horses. In H & H it was said that he wouldnt be used for covering until he has finished competing as he may become too stallion like. I personally like a stallion that has the brain to be able to differentiate between covering and work. Perhaps he will cope with the two jobs but will it ever be tested if he doesnt cover until he has finished competing

 

[toomanyhorses26]

Personally I think is unlike any horse we have seen - he has all the good parts of many top horses - the showmanship of matine,the way he sits in the pirouettes like alrich(sp) and the half passes of many top horses (gribaldi,salinero,bonfire etc etc ) and has really wrapped it up in one package at the age of nine. As had been said before if you had to pick a weak point it would be the changes but they were stil worthy of a good mark and he potentially has another 4/5/6 years before what is traditionally the prime age for a grand prix/international dressage horse - could it be the first horse to reach 100%???

there was a comment by one of the commentators that he was not so much of a pussy cat in the stable as opposed to when he ws under saddle and working but who knows how true this is

 

[eventrider23]

Not everyone is going to like every horse, that is a given and it would be a boring world if everyone used the same types of sires, however, Totilas is incredibly well put together which is evident when you look at him stood up plus I would have to agree with others, that whether you like him or not, he is definitley not stuffy in front!

 

[Maesfen]

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I really don't see how people 'don't like the look of him'. But, we all see out of different eyes and all that! And can i ask why you don't like his temperment or character?

He looks like he's got a perfect temperment from what i've seen.

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Lol, I just don't find him handsome; flashy yes, but handsome, no and just not my type of horse at all; bit like fancying Clooney or Cage; you usually find one of those your type but not both of them!
I should also have added 'if' his stable time temperament is as dodgy as reported; it's a big word 'if'!

FTR, I should say I far preferred his performance last night compared to the other time he broke the record but I am now wondering if that was due to the quality of the video I saw as that one left me stone cold, didn't like it at all whereas last night he definitely was a Champion, there was no denying him that one.

 

[Hollycat]

Thanks for everyones replies!!!!!

Although I like him, I don't think I would use him unless I had a mare shouting out for him. None of us here really know about the temprement and of course as a fat, middle aged women, if I was breeding for myself to ride a nice placid temprement is more important to me than a horse that is very hot, though very trainable.

What suits a pro rider will not necessarily suit me! If I was breeding to sell, then as long as his foals evaluate well then it would perhaps be a good option.

I wonder if they will do a couple of collections just in case. After all horses are very prone to dying at inopertune moments and it would be a real shame if he never had a single foal.

It will be very interesting to see what time brings for this young sire!

 

[eventrider23]

Well for all we know he probably has a store of frozen semen already taken for their own use at some point....plus his owners are not short of money and I imagine that cloining would not be ruled out if something happened to him.

 

[maestro]

I think the why is the most important bit. I would like a shot if I had a good enough mare but then I would love to breed something that approached the talent and brain of this horse., he gives me goose bumps. My daughter has hopes of really making it in the dressage world and with horse like that the skys the limit.

 

[nomis]

Richard Davidson said on BBC that he was speaking to Edward Gal about Totilas and that as a 6 year old when he went to try him he got off him quickly and went to get his stable rider, as he was hot with big movement (many top riders will not risk being injured on a young horse). He is also not an easy horse in the stable, that was also the comment made on TV by Richard Davidson.

If Totilas has not been near any mares and is fully concentrated on the job at hand, i.e. International Dressage, then there is no way they are going to ruin any chances he has in 2012 for breeding purposes. Moorlands are multi-millionaires, so money is not their object, medals are!

There are a lot of stallions who cannot be used for breeding and sport at the same time, to me that does not go against them at all, nor would it be for many a top breeder who are looking at the potential stock.

It is likely he will be seen as one of the greatest dressage horses in the world (well he is), and I am sure that many people will fall over themselves to use him when he does become available.

 

[eventrider23]

I know for sure that if I could afford it I would go out of my way to find a mare to suit him and use him!!!

 

[Foxford]

He is nice, but I don't think I would use him.
Like someone else said, if we all liked the same stallions we'd end up with a pretty small gene pool!!
I guess I'd prefer to use a more traditional irish type, but then I don't enjoy hot horses or desire a flashy mover. I just want my horses to do RC/hacking on and having fun.