Edward Gal was once again well and truly in the spotlight. At the Dutch Championships in 2020, when Edward was first and second in the Grand Prix, both times riding stallions by Edward’s stallion star, Totilas, who was by another of Edward’s Grand Prix stars, Gribaldi.

Edward and Glock’s Toto Jr Reserve at the Dutch championships (Dirk Caremans image)

In the Grand Prix, Glock’s Total US was the winner and he went on to win the Freestyle with a score of 84.825.Total US is by Totilas out of a Sir Donnerhall / Don Schufro mare.

And Edward Gal and Glock’s Total US
(Photo Dirk Caremans)

The Reserve champion in the Grand Prix was Glock’s Toto Jr by Totilas out of a mare by the Hanoverian GP star, Desperados out of a Rotspon mare.

Back in 2010 at the KWPN Stallion show, when I sat down with Edward to talk about the horse that started it all, the Trakehner stallion, Gribaldi…

Every time you appear in the arena, it seems to be such an emotional experience – do you find it tiring, all this drama? At Windsor with Totilas it was amazing – but the retirement ceremony for Gribaldi at the KWPN Stallion show that was sensational…

“That was very special when many of Gribaldi’s progeny came into the arena, and he came in last, and you knew it was the good bye for Gribaldi… quite emotional. It all started with Gribaldi for me. I rode him for 12 years and that is a long time. Together with Lingh, he was my first real international horse. After Lingh was sold, Gribaldi took over his place, and it was good to have him because I could keep on riding in the big competitions. Then comes his son, Totilas, and that is even more amazing. Every time you are surprised at what he can do, he astonishes me every time!”

Gribaldi showing us where Totilas got his pirouette from…

Do you find the father in the son?

“A lot, not only his appearance, but also his ability for collecting, for piaffe and passage, and the pirouettes – Gribaldi had it too.”

Totilas seems so strong – every time you see the footage of him doing the canter pirouette at Windsor, it seems so perfect, so effortless for him…

“You just say, now pirouette and turn and he starts doing it and it’s so easy with him. Most of the things are easy with him. In the arena, when there is a lot happening, at the prize giving, you can let him walk normal and he just stands there, and when you want him to do something, he immediately reacts, and that is good.”

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His temperament seems to be extraordinary? On the Friday night of the KWPN show,  he did that incredible performance at the farewell to Gribaldi, but the next day, he came in to accept the Horse of the Year award,  and you would have thought he might get excited remembering the night before but he was so cool…

“That’s why I rode him in like I did, because I don’t want him to get like ‘oh I go into the ring I get excited’ now he also knows it is good again and he can be cool – and that is also a talent from him, that he can switch in his mind and go, okay relax. And he relaxes. That is very rare.”

“Of course we train that. We want very much energy – and then also stop. We train it at home, okay, you can’t train it like this with this atmosphere with all the people. When you practice a lot, then I think you can do it, even when it is very exciting.”

How would you describe your training system?

“I don’t know. I don’t really want to call it a system. I just adapt my riding to every horse. I train every horse different. Okay I have some basics, like I want to have tempo control, and they must be quick on my leg. Some horses I ride a little bit high, some I ride really deep, and it really depends – what I think is the best for the horse, that’s the way I train him.”

Do you like to use the quote, unquote – Rolkur Method?

“Yeah when it is necessary, but there is some kind of negative thing about rolkur, but I don’t think it is negative, when it is done properly, then it is good. But when you ride in the old classical school way and you don’t do it well, then that’s not good for the horse either. You really need to get into it before you can judge it, and I think people see something and say ‘oh that’s bad for the horses’ but I don’t think that’s right. I think everything is bad for the horse when its not trained properly.”

Totalis and Edward at their first appearance at Aachen in 2008 – they had flying change problems which was a problem early in the stallion’s career…

Waiting for the final score at the 2010 WEG in Kentucky – they were victorious, but the pair were seen having problems with the changes in the warm-up arena during the competition..

With Totilas, would you use this method to warm him up?

“It depends how he is. Sometimes I need to make him a little bit rounder when he gets more excited, sometimes it is not necessary. But when it is necessary, I do it.”

There are some times then when you would go into a test without using rolkur at all?

“Yeah, when he is really relaxed… but okay I think he is an exceptional horse, he doesn’t need a lot of training to do these things. It’s always difficult to compare other horses with him.”

And of course, Edward is pleased with the success of the two Totilas sons:

“Both horses have shown themselves very well. This competition is great to start again for the first time. It is not that busy around the ring, which gives the horses a lot of confidence. I am very happy with both horses. Toto Jr is a bit more of a powerhouse, Total US a bit more elegant. But it’s great to have two such horses on their way to the Tokyo Olympics,” Edward told Netherlands News Live…

You can breed to Totilas bloodlines in Australia – go to: www.ihb.com.au

And for more pix and words about Totilas

Farewell Totilas