dances in the ring, sending everyone who watches him into ecstasy. It is interesting to learn that the now famous Totilas is
remarkably similar to one of the great Trakehner stallions of all time, Totilas. His name is far from a mere coincidence, as his breeders indeed named Moorlands Totilas after the legendary Trakehner sire “in honor of the Trakehner.”
Raising Totilas Lightning figuratively struck the international dressage world at the European Championships in Great Britain in August 2009. After watching Totilas’ Grand Prix test, the veteran Olympic show jumper Nelson Pessoa says, with tears in his eyes, “Never in my long life have I seen a horse which can move like this one. His class is out of this world, and he truly has unknown qualities.” But even an
elastic catapult like Totilas started his life anonymously at the side of his dam. He was born in the Netherlands in the northern province of Friesland. Under the smoke of the ancient town of Dokkum, his breeders Jan and Anna Schuil-Visser live in a small village called Broeksterwoude. In Europe, some
breeders will keep a broodmare stabled elsewhere. She carries her foal and may give birth in a specialized foaling facility. Perhaps her owner then takes her and her foal to a horse show, but doesn’t spend much effort on the whole enterprise. He pays the bills, and nods happily, “yes, yes,” when someone compliments him on the quality of the foal. The foal is sold after weaning, and when it later performs well in competition under saddle, the breeder cannot even recall many specifics of that particular foal. That is most definitely not how Jan and Anna Schuil breed horses, as they have a totally different philosophy. For the Schuils, breeding a horse entails making sure that
the foal is raised perfectly, with a place to grow up at its own pace and develop in all the peace and quiet that it needs. With them, a “childhood” lasts no less than six years. They are certain that a horse needs that extended period to grow up
62 January/February 2012
in such a way as to have a successful life in competition. That also means that they themselves give their horses their basic training. So it was Jan Schuil himself who first sat on Totilas to back him. “Many owners want their horses to be trained as quickly as possible to avoid costs. That is not the way we want to do it. That is also the reason why Totilas did not go to the stallion selection of the KWPN (Dutch Warmblood Breed Association in the Netherlands). We feel there is too much pressure at a KWPN stallion selection. He might have had to go for his stallion performance test to Ermelo (at the Dutch national equestrian center), and there everybody deals with a stallion without the personal attention and care we want to provide. We most definitely do not choose that option,” says Jan. The Schuils believe that the most important thing is to keep a horse mentally intact. Many horses become burned out. Everything is so hurried, forced and strained upon them. There should be a balance between obedience and self-reliance. “But,” says Jan, “sometimes I am too gentle. Totilas for instance kicked with his front leg. So…halt, and a step backwards by way of correction. Repeat. A horse has first to learn to deal with himself. Punishment gives stress on top of stress. Give an order and reward the horse on executing it. Shouting and yelling at a horse often means in reality being afraid of the horse. When I encounter a problem with one of the horses, I lay awake at night, puzzling over it trying to find a way to solve it.”
Jan and Anna take
care of all the basic schooling of their horses themselves. “We want to treat them kindly and gently and give them a solid foundation,
so they are strong within themselves when they start their sports career. It takes time, because they only work three times a week until they are six. But when they have reached that age they are ready to take on the world. We start to train them at the age of two and a half. That is a crucial period. We start to work them a bit according to a version of the method developed by Monty Roberts.”
Anna Schuil-Visser and Jan Schuil, breeders of Moorlands
Totilas.The other photo shows pigeons perched on the roof of the Schuil’s barn on their farm in the Netherlands where the German Trakehner double moose antlers are proudly displayed above the door. Photos by Heleen Cramer
American Trakehner Association
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