Dressage today USA
Karen M. Brittle – december 5, 2018
Equine Filmmaker Annette van Trigt
How She Accesses the Horse World’s Most Fascinating Stories
Totilas, an elegant black stallion born in Friesland, the Netherlands, in 2000, was destined to become a famous and controversial dressage horse. Jan Schuil, the Dutch veterinarian who bred him, knew early on Totilas was special: the floating walk, the defining self-confidence tempered with unexpected sweetness. Early in his life, Totilas was ridden by Jiska van der Akker, a Dutch rider who was paid 15 Euros to ride him three times a week, counting on his sale to make the investment of her time worthwhile. Eventually, he was discovered by Edward Gal, the celebrated Dutch rider who rode with a softness that seemed innately suited to Totilas. Gal persuaded Kees and Tosca Vissers, Dutch billionaires, to invest in the purchase of Totilas.