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Totilas and Rath - after the honeymoon period

4K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  Arksly 
#1 ·
Has the training worn off??



 
#2 ·
I'll admit I'm not that knowledgeable in dressage but to me, it looks like the first rider is a much more talented rider. Is that true? The second rider looked very sloppy to me.
 
#3 ·
It could just be that Totilas is testing out his new rider.
There is alot of tension there though and alot of disturbing tail swishing.

It could also be that as the new rider has only had the horse a few months he may not have found all the buttons and he certainly wont have the rapport with the horse that edward Gal had. You expect a dip in results
 
#4 ·
I think Rath looks fine on the horse. Yes it's not perfect, but I think that's fine, I have no problem with that.

I don't expect everything to be radically different with a different rider. I don't expect everything to be perfect with a new rider. I don't expect the horse to change hugely with a new rider. The horse has been going one way for a long, long time.

Rath is a very good rider but younger and less experienced than Gal. Still I believe he is doing a fine job.

I like how Rath rides a little more than I like how Gal rides, Gal tends to put his lower leg forward, and he has a somewhat different system of aids. I don't know how much Rath will have to change how he rides to accomodate Totilas.
 
#5 ·
I think they're still figuring each other out - that video is from their first public appearance as a duo. They'll only get better - Matthias is a fabulous rider!

I actually like the way Totilas goes with him better, seems a bit more forward with no "hitch" (for lack of better word) in the hinds. Although Matthias does need to get his hind a bit more engaged, especially during the lengthenings.

I think they'll make a great team and they should be watched for at future events!!
 
#6 ·
Rath is 26 and got the ride on the horse I suspect, because his wealthy mother in law bought into the horse.
Gal has been riding internationally for years and routinely recieves 10 for the rider score.

It's a good schoolmaster for Rath, but to my eye it looks as if he is getting far less out of the horse and does not have the co-ordination of aids to keep the horse collected enough, and in front of the aids.
Although his hands are nice, they are not always giving at the right time. As a result the horse is not as active behind as he is with Gal. There are also a few "misfires" with Rath where the horse is breaking gait - they are also happening with Gal but he is diffusing the horse and keeping him better in tempo when it is happening, and keeping the neck longer during the tense moments. When Rath is in the ring for the first while the neck is just getting short where as Gal has the strength and timing to hold the horse back mainly with his seat (seen in the first few seconds of the KWPN HOTY video when Toto spooks while Gal is half halting to piaffe).

Still, if Rath gets the timing figured out and stops breaking gait it will be a hard pair to beat. It will be interesting to see what happens when they attend their first competition...
 
#7 ·
I agree that Totillas goes better in the second video. I donlt know either rider , except haveing seen clips of the WEG fantastic ride of Gal.
In the first video, T almost looks off in the hind in a couple of places . He is not reaching under as much as usual, his piaffe he isn;t sunk down on his haunches nearly as much as with Gal, and at the extended trot, he is doing a bit of leg flinging out front, which looks too extreme for the level and angle of the hind end's reach under. Not even near parallel.

But I am sure they need time to get used to ehac other. Maybe T is tired? He kind of gives me that feeling in video one.
 
#8 ·
I think Rath and Totilas are still trying to figure each other out. Partnerships take time to develop.

To be quite honest I feel rather bad for Rath. There's a crap ton of public pressure on him to produce the kind of scores on Totilas that Gal did after years of working with the horse.
 
#9 ·
To be quite honest I feel rather bad for Rath. There's a crap ton of public pressure on him to produce the kind of scores on Totilas that Gal did after years of working with the horse.
Exactly my thought. Sometime it takes quite a while to get used to each other. I liked 2nd video way more - horse is trying the best while in 1st one he's like "oh, ok....". But I'd say it'll be more interesting to compare both guys in year or 2 from now.
 
#10 ·
I think they are just trying to figure eachother out. Rath seems like a pretty decent rider to me.

Does anyone remember Lingh? That was much worse. He doesn't even look like the same horse when his new owner was riding him. With Toto, you can still tell it's him, with his amazing gates. I'm sure as soon as Rath figures out all of his little quirks, those two will be great.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I'm going to see Karin, will let her know of your expert opinion, LOL!

Karin is a super person and rode the horse just as she was instructed. Take your time, take it easy, don't go for extremes, get a feel for it. I thought she did a great job in riding Lingh. You can't expect someone beginning GP at that level of competition, to ride the horse at full power. She rode him exactly the way she was supposed to. I don't think someone who hasn't gone through that, knows nothing about it, has never ridden at that level or that type of horse, really has the right to trash Karin behind her back. And I think Lingh looked very happy and comfortable with Karin riding.
 
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