dressage
Schockemöhle and previous owners are arguing about sperm from the dead miracle stallion Totilas
Coveted stallion even after his death: Totilas with the German dressage rider Matthias Alexander Rath in 2011
© Uwe Anspach
The dressage horse Totilas was once the hyped superstar of equestrian sports. Although it died two years ago, its previous owners are fighting over the seed of the wonder stallion. It’s about a lot of money.
Of course, this dispute is about money. To be more precise, it’s the income that you earn with the frozen semen of the former wonder stallion Totilas. Although the sporting career of the dressage horse ended in 2015, Totilas was still in great demand as a stallion. Owner Paul Schockemöhle earned a lot of money by covering the black horse, for which he once shelled out ten million euros. The death of Totila in 2020 did not mean the end of this career. Due to the frozen semen, the stallion was still in action after his death and Schockemöhle continued to earn money with it.
But then he had competition. Totila’s previous owner, Dutchman Kees Visser, apparently kept frozen semen from the stallion after he was sold in 2010. Thanks to a new technique in reproductive medicine, he is now able to use the old seed again. Schockemöhle had a German court prohibit him from doing so by means of an injunction. Visser is now taking action before a court in the Netherlands.
The frozen seed is bubbling source of income
Visser is complaining because the ban means he has missed out on lucrative orders. He is certainly also under a certain amount of time pressure because the quality of the semen is not improving. According to the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”, Visser is entitled to 3.5 million euros in damages.
Schockemöhle, on the other hand, claims to have the sole rights to the transfer of Totilas sperm. “I’m pretty calm about the matter,” said the 77-year-old of “Bild”. According to the website of the Schafhof stud farm, the stud fee for Totila’s former rider Matthias Alexander Rath is 4,000 euros.
It is not surprising that the semen of the highly talented dressage horse is so popular, Totila’s genes were unique. In 2009 he made his breakthrough with his rider Edward Gal, several times he achieved a score of over 90 percent, which was considered almost impossible. Totilas became a media star, and at the CHIO in Aachen 2010 the stadium had to be sealed off because of the crowds of spectators.
After sale, Totilas becomes a sports invalid
But with the sale to Schockemöhle a year later, the decline began. Under his German rider, Matthias Alexander Rath, Totilas was less and less likely to return to the top marks. In 2012 they missed the Olympic Games – but because of Rath’s illness. Totila’s vulnerability to injury increased.
Totilas’ career reached its lowest point in 2015 at the European Championships in Aachen. After a performance, the animal became paralyzed and the doctors diagnosed bone edema on the left hind leg. With that, the sporting career of the miracle horse was over. At that time there was criticism of the German team for not withdrawing Totilas earlier. Five years later, the stallion died of colic.
Sources: DPA, “The New Zurich Times”