Sold: Moorlands Totilas

By John on
Well, it’s official.  One of the most talented horses to ever walk the Earth has been sold to former German showjumper and now top European breeder Paul Schockemohle, according to the Horse and Hound.  During the WEGs, Edward denied rumors that Totilas had been sold with enough finality to make former LSU now Alabama head coach Nick Saban proud.  Totilas broke every scoring record at the grand prix level with Edward over the last year and the sad reality is that his value as a breeding horse became too high for his owners not to sell him.  
On Wednesday, rumors of the sale finally broke through into the German media and today Totilas’ former owners, Cees and Tosca Visser of Moorland’s stables have issued a press release in which they stated “After Kentucky it was impossible for us to refuse the offers on Totilas.”  Of course, the amount of the sale has not been disclosed.  
Eurodressage.com quotes a heartbroken Edward Gal as saying “From the first moment I rode him I knew he was a once-in-a-lifetime horse. Of course there was continuous interest in him, but I never expected it to go this quickly. I understand Moorland’s decision, but I’m sad.”  My first reaction is to feel awful for Edward, and I am frustrated that, from what I have seen, neither the seller nor the buyer talked about Totilas’ welfare in their public statements.  
Make no mistake: this was all about the money.  From the sellers not being able to turn down such large sums of money to the buyer making calculations about how high and how many stud fees he can generate, there was a lot of math involved in this decision.  While we may never know how much Totilas was sold for, this reminds me of the famous blockbuster racehorse sales, many of which do not work out well financially for the new owners.  Totilas is such an outlier that he is unlikely to produce a horse as good as himself and if his first few groups of foals are not sensational then his breeding stock will fall considerably.  This also reminds me of what Bruce says about breeding–it’s all about the mare.  Unfortunately, the real losers here are the many dressage fans and aspiring your riders who will not get to see Totilas and Gal break any more records.

Go eventing.

Categories:

Eventing Nation, Eventing News and Notes
  • Marty

    This is great news for the USA Dressage Olympic hopes for a medal. For me, Totilas WEG performance was a visual of what judges are looking for and should be used as a training aid for generations to come. I can see why most horses get 6s or 7s on their movements when compared to Totilas.

  • LisaB

    So who gets the ride? I mean it was said that Edward competes and rides him while he's breeding on a regular basis.
    I think they need to make a superhero comic book out of this horse ...

  • critter

    My impression from the article is that Totilas is becoming a professional sire... in Europe. Is this correct?

  • John

    My guess is that Totilas will compete some under a German rider--I don't know which one--but since he was sold to such a famous German breeder, I expect his role now will be mostly breeding. At this point, it doesn't sound like anyone knows Paul Schockenmohle's exact plans though.

  • Carried Away

    A German friend translated from a website...she said the reported sale price was between 10-15 million euros!!

  • Totilas Lover

    I agree it's all about the money, but that's not any different than before. If you watch the interview with Edward Gal, he says that Totilas wasn't allowed turnout because he would pull a shoe or get nicks etc. That's just not right-- he's a horse. What does it say about us as owners if we're not willing to put aside our desires for prizes and fame so that our horse can have some turnout?

  • Melissa

    Yes it is about money....but I don't think the horse is going to a bad place. Paul's stud has some damn nice mares as well...and he is a breeder who knows his stuff. Totilas has a good pedigree and I suspect there will be some talented offspring by him. Paul will be making money not just on stud fees...but more on the foals he produces and sells. Again...I'm sure Edward Gal would prefer to keep the ride (and continue to be paid to ride and show that horse)...but he doesn't own the horse and doesn't pay its expenses. If a rider doesn't want a horse potentially sold...then like it has ALWAYS been...they need to own all or part of the horse and they need to bear the expenses and risks. There are many that do this and own their horses as a joint venture with others....and others that don't (ALSO often because of money).

  • Polly

    Let's hope he has a better ending to his story than Ferdinand.

  • Emily

    Kudos to anyone who can make money off horses. I don't feel bad that the horse is getting treated like a piece of meat, he probably lives a more luxurious lifestyle than most of us reading this.

  • Julie

    But can he JUMP!?! Inquiring eventers want to know.

  • soweto

    For 10-15 ish million euros, I am pretty sure that the horse will live in the lap of luxury. We don't need to worry about 'what is best for the horse' The horse will live perfectly well, turn-out or not, I am sure! What man wouldn't like to eat sleep and breed... I mean really!
    You can't eat medals, and at that price, who can blame the owners for selling him? The idea that horses should somehow be altruistic entities because they are beautiful and we love them, is not realistic. Horses can (and are) bought and sold. Personally, I have only ever had one horse (my first Advanced horse, Soweto) who was never for sale, and at 28 lives his days at my parent's farm. All the rest have had to go for financial reasons. It's the reality of horses.

  • critter

    Polly! Are we talking Munro Leaf's Ferdinand?

    "And for all I know he is sitting there still, under his favorite cork tree, smelling the flowers just quietly.
    He is very happy."

  • Callie

    I can only hope Polly is referring to that Ferdinand, critter. Because if she is referring to the TB stallion that ultimately ended up being slaughtered in Japan, I'm going to have to (politely) roll my eyes.

    Horses change hands. It happens every day. The chances of Totilas ending up at slaughter are so slim that they aren't worth the angst of even posting that sort of comment.

    I would love, however, to hear the business case for that sort of purchase. I'm sure much number crunching has been done, but from an educational perspective, I would love to hear how Totilas' new owners have arrived at that purchase price.

  • George

    Gee, Penny Chenery wants us to believe she knew it was all about the mare....money talks. Like I tell all my customers..."nothing vast quantities of money won't fix..."

  • P.A

    Even though it is sad that he wont be breaking any more records, who knows how much longer a horse like that could hold up to the incredibly stressful workload that was req'd to do his job!!

    May his career be a long standing source of inspiration, and his videos be used as a model for what dressage looks like when its done by the gods on earth as horses!!

    I agree about the superhero comic book ... I can see it now!!

  • Javvie

    So sad for Edward... one of the things I noticed most at the Games was not just how brilliant the horse was, but how brilliantly Edward rode him. The horse is talented beyond everything anyone has ever seen, but someone had to make that happen correctly every step along the way.

    Some rumors across the web that he won't be fully retired to stud and that a German rider will get him?

  • Confused

    Who is Nick Saban?! That reference went straight over my head. Don't you know your audience, John? Women. Women who ride horses and know nothing of any other sports. Sigh. It was bound to happen one day. (You making a football reference, since you're all male and whatnot.)

  • Laura

    "I agree it's all about the money, but that's not any different than before. If you watch the interview with Edward Gal, he says that Totilas wasn't allowed turnout because he would pull a shoe or get nicks etc. That's just not right-- he's a horse. What does it say about us as owners if we're not willing to put aside our desires for prizes and fame so that our horse can have some turnout?"

    Unfortunately that's how many horses from your scruffy welshie to you highly prized dressage horse is treated, they don't get turned out because there's not much turn out in Holland, point. My horse hasn't seen a proper field since we moved here 2 years ago, might get to go in small paddock for an hour a day in the summer if it's not raining which it always is. It sucks big time :(

    Shame he's gone though :(

  • Polly
  • Caroline

    I feel so bad for Edward Gal...I think that he really loved the horse. Also, this horse btter not be fully retired to breeding...hes way too amazing for that to happen:(

  • Marie Ulmburg

    This is very sad...
    Schockemoehle runs a breeding factory...
    God be with Totilas

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    I know I have a problem when I apparently can't look at Heath Ledger's IMDB page without getting all sadfaced. It's been nearly three years.

  • Carmi

    I agree with the majority: We feel bad for Edward Gal.....and Moorlands Totilas the team of perfection is now put into the history books...like past riders and their famous mounts.....like nothing ever happened....
    Moorlands Torilas gave his entire heart to Edward and the sport of Grand Prix Dressage...and I truly feel Edward felt the same toward Moorland Totilas..Every gait,turn was far superior to any other rider and horse combination ever seen...that's why I firmly believe Moorlands Totilas is called,"The Horse of the Century."

  • Kay Van Slyke

    The team of Totilas and Gal was stunning to watch, the movements fluid and seamless. The horse and rider had a connection that is seldon seen. I will truly miss them. I would love to know the title of the music that was used in the WEG freestyle. The coreography was amazing. Does anyone know the title for that music?? I would wish Edward the best of luck with his next mount but as he has indicated Totilas was a once in a lifetime experience.

  • Oliver

    Daine and Hal; wtf?

    And Marie Ulmburg, Schockemoehle may run a "breeding factory" but that doesn't mean the horses are poorly treated. They're probably treated better than way more than half the world's population.

  • Sirkka Hyvönen

    I miss Totilas. I would like to know, how is his life going on. All his talents have been in vain. I think it was a sin to sell him. I'm so sad!

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