of
and resources invested, they continually strive to improve and breed the ultimate sport horse— hoping for that once-in-a-lifetime foal. For the next few issues, Warmbloods Today interviews breeders who have been breeding sport horses for decades and who are willing to share what they consider their “best of bred.”
H
MAZEY The First Totilas Foal in America
Scot Tolman of Shooting Star Farm in New Hampshire has been breeding horses for more than twenty years, focusing primarily on Dutch Warmbloods. He estimates he has bred close to 100 foals, sometimes having as many as twelve foals born in one year. On May third of this year, a special filly was born at Shooting Star which Scot believes is the best foal he’s ever bred. He considers her to be the culmination of twenty years of breeding decisions. The farm’s foundation mare SSF Orchis gave birth to Galearites SSF, the first foal born in North America by the legendary Dutch Warmblood stallion Totilas. When Scot first saw Totilas in Holland, he says he knew
immediately that he had to have a foal by him. The black, 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion by Gribaldi has enjoyed unparalleled success and world record setting dressage scores under rider/trainer Edward Gal. And according to Scot, he’s even more impressive in person. “I wasn’t prepared for how impressive he’d be in the flesh. If you’ve not seen Totilas in the flesh, you’ve not seen a real equine athlete.” Totilas was first offered at stud in 2010. Mare owners
had to go through an application process before learning whether or not their mares had been accepted for breeding to Totilas. His stud fee was unusually high for a Warmblood stallion. At a stud fee of $5,500 euro, after the currency conversion at the time, and after adding all importation costs and shipping, Scot’s cost was
60 November/December 2011
Best Bred
orse breeding isn’t for the faint of heart. Breeders often declare that their business is a “labor of love.” With countless hours, dollars
INTRODUCING A NEW SERIES WHERE VETERAN BREEDERS SHARE WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS THEIR BEST (OR FAVORITE) FOAL BRED TO DATE.
By Gigha Steinman
approximately $8,000 for up to three doses of frozen semen with no live foal guarantee. (This means that a breeder has up to three chances to breed a mare. In 2011, with Totilas having changed ownership to Paul Schockemöehle, the price dropped a little to 5,000 euro, but it’s per single dose with no live foal guarantee.) Scot decided that
SSF Orchis, a Dutch Warmblood mare by Jazz, would be a great choice to breed to Totilas. According to Scot, Orchis has the highest dressage breeding index of any KWPN mare outside of Holland, and her family line is one of the top lines in Holland. Although he had applied with two mares, and both were
Mazey in September at
almost five months. © Jenna Leigh Teti Photography
Two fillies at top with title: photo courtesy W. Charlot Farms
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