with a “T” (the KWPN requires the names of all the foals born in one year start with the same letter). We liked the name Totilas a lot, but to name your foal after such a great sire? But soon we dared to use it when we realized that our Totilas indeed had special qualities. We like to use Trakehner names to honor the Trakehner and, indeed, Totilas has not let anyone down.” As an even firmer step in the Trakehner direction, in 2005
they purchased their first purebred Trakehner mare. Jan and Anna saw her at the Neumünster auction as a two-year-old, and although they had no intention beforehand to buy a mare, this black bay filly came home with them: Karenina V by E.H. Buddenbrock, out of Karmen IV by Fontainbleau from the famous Kassandra mare family. She became a
Premium Mare at Kerken as a three-year-old and now has a charming black son of quality by Gribaldi. He immediately placed third at the TCN (Trakehner Contact Netherlands, the Dutch Trakehner Association) championships. Karenina has been left unbred now, because she should start her sports career at this point, under a carefully chosen rider. The Schuil’s philosophy about horse breeding and
starting young horses has brought such great success already in the phenomenal Totilas. It’s a well-deserved reward for this sympathetic couple that continually puts the interest of their horses first.
This article was first published in Dutch on the Trakehner Contact Nederland web site at:
www.trakehnercontact.nl/?page_id=1266
Te Original Totilas by Dr. Maren Engelhardt T
he name Totilas is derived from the name of Totila, a king of the Ostrogoth Empire, who used
it as a battle name. As it was a custom to name famous stallions after kings, nobles or war heroes, or even gods, the black Pythagoras son out of Tontaube by Pilger, foaled at Trakehnen in 1938, was named Totilas. He began his stallion career at the East Prussian State Stud at Georgenburg, where he stood from 1941 until its evacuation from the invading Soviet Army in the winter of 1944/45. Along with several other stallions
from that stud, Totilas was relocated briefly to the Lower Saxony State Stud at Celle close to Hanover. Most of his breeding career, however, was at Rantzau and Schmoel. From 1949 until his death in 1965, he was a Trakehner Verband-owned stallion and holds the title of “Century Stallion” for his exceptional role in re-establishing the Trakehner breed after World War II. Interestingly, his younger full brother Torero did not make it to the West, but rather was relocated to Perlin in Mecklenburg and ended up in Russian hands after World War II. Better known as “Eifel,” Torero became a dominant and highly successful international sport horse producer at Russia’s Kirov Stud. Totilas was officially described as a stallion with “a
notably breed-specific head and type with good neck and shoulder, very deep chest and a dip behind the withers, good ribcage, short, medium-sized, with a correct foundation and good movement.” During his breeding career, he produced over 100
registered daughters for this small breed. Among these daughters are foundation mares of tremendous ongoing
impact on sport horse breeding worldwide, such as Schwalbe, Toga, Herbstgold, Bergfee, Lisette, Memel, Tip-Top, Tarau and Toga. Offspring of these mares have excelled in all disciplines and at the highest levels under saddle, and they have produced numerous stallions and mares that guarantee an ever-increasing influence of this excellent bloodline in sport horse breeding. Interestingly, Totilas was predominantly a “mare producer,” meaning his sons never quite gained the influence and quality his daughters did. However, his son Polarfürst became an important sire in the Holsteiner breed, even though he only stood at Traventhal for one year, and also through sons in the KWPN (Dutch Warmblood) breed. Hence, Totilas’ name can be found in some high profile Holsteiner and KWPN pedigrees even today. Totilas’ caretakers always
described him as a true gentleman stallion, with impeccable manners and a very people-oriented, pleasing personality. In that regard, the Schuils certainly found a perfect name match for today’s Totilas. Whether or not Moorlands Totilas (or now simply Totilas) will gain similar influence as a foundation sire in the KWPN remains to be seen. As a stunning performance horse, a one-of-a-kind horse that grips the hearts of thousands of fans worldwide, he certainly carries the right name! v
Photo: The original Totilas foaled at Trakehnen in 1938. He began his stallion career in 1941 at the East Prussian State Stud at Georgenburg, then was evacuated in the winter of 1944/45 to West Germany, where he stood at Celle (Hanover), Rantzau and Schmoel. From 1949 until his death in 1965 he was owned by the Trakehner Verband and earned the title “Century Stallion” for his influence on the breed. Photo by Felicitas Tank
SPECIAL TRAKEHNER SECTION Warmbloods Today 65
American Trakehner Association
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