Totilas, who contributed to German bronze with Matthias Rath aboard during yesterday’s team portion of the FEI European Championships in Aachen, Germany, won’t move forward to the Grand Prix Special. German publication St. Georg confirmed the stallion’s been transported to a veterinary clinic for examination of the unevenness displayed in his left hind during the test.
“The horse was out of order in the Grand Prix. That’s what I saw,” said Paul Schockemöhle, who owns the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Gribaldi—Lominka, Glendale) with Ann-Katrin Linsenhof.
Schockemöhle told St. Georg the horse is headed for an MRI. He’ll only return to future competitions if he’s “fit enough to do all three tests.”
Totilas and Rath were sixth individually in the Grand Prix yesterday, with a score of 75.97 percent.
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The stallion, ridden to Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (Ky.) gold by the Netherlands’ Edward Gal, was sold to Germany in late 2010. Since then, he’s struggled with soundness issues and a return to top sport. With Rath, he won last year’s Aachen CDIO***** Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special, but he was withdrawn before the freestyle.
Aug. 17 Update: German team veterinarian Dr. Marc Koene reported that Totilas was diagnosed with bone inflammation in his left hoof. The horse is anticipated to be off for four to five months, and it’s uncertain if he’ll make a return to competition.
