Valegro, Totilas & Co. | Horses of History

We look back at some of the most iconic horses in the history of Equestrian sport. From Rodrigo Pessoat's Baloubet du Rouet to Charlotte Dujardin's Valegro and Edward Gal's Totilas, we have seen unforgettable, incredible horses that changed the Equestrian sport forever.
Which horse do you think is the greatest horse of all-time? Let us know in the comments!
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[@feichannel]

▶▶ Which horse is the greatest horse of all-time? Let us know in the comments! ▶▶ Subscribe to our KZbin channel & hit the bell! 🔔 go.fei.org/KZbin?c

[@beethechange1834]

Personally, I think Valero was the greatest horse of all-time

[@kippen64]

Charisma.

[@lorena.h3395]

Totilas died at age 20

[@kadovax6567]

@@lorena.h3395 do we know how?

[@cherylmillard2067]

President's Jack Sparrow ridden by Patrick van der Meer

[@anbs2476]

Halla is missing. She holds the record for most gold medals for show jumping in the Olympics and became a legend when she finished the course without a fault while carrying a heavily injured rider (Hans Günter Winkler) in Stockholm 1956. Her story is fascinating!

[@hugsnotdrugsfriesbeforeguy5968]

How did her rider get injured??

[@ceciliab.9714]

@@hugsnotdrugsfriesbeforeguy5968 He got a torn muscle whilst jumping. He finished the last round with heavy medication(morphine)being nearly unconscious and not able to guide Halla.

[@cinteltex7877]

Halla - the legend of Stockholm… yeah … where is she?

[@laradraws1302]

For me, Valegro is the greatest horse of all time. He showed me the world of dressage. And I am forever thankful for that 🙏

[@ailisonkelland]

Hes our local hero. In newent

[@ailisonkelland]

Ive seen valegro a lot as he is local to us and competed where i worked, but i have to say, seeing and filming totilas at olympia was an honour.

[@laradraws1302]

@@ailisonkelland I sadly wasn’t able to see him live but he still was able to show, inspire and enchant me for the world of dressage although I’m a showjumper at my heart. Watching him and Charlotte made me improve my daily dressage work and that’s what I’m most thankful for 😊

[@kennikitty]

The horse that left the biggest impact on me - and possibly german dressage, was Donnerhall. His passage and piaffe were to die for. His genes are present in many top dressage horses today. The entire gold medal team from the 2012 olympics were directly related to him (a son, a grandson and a granddaughter).

[@dominicweber]

Valegro has Donnerhall blood?

[@cornet959]

@@dominicweber put Valegro Allbreed, into Google. You will see that Valegro has a lot of great jumping sires in his pedigree. Ladykiller, Voltaire (Furioso), Nimmerdor (Farn), Le Mexico.

[@jazzh8211]

timestamps :) 1:15 - Charisma 3:40 - Milton 6:27 - Ratina Z 9:37 - Bonfire 11:58 - Baloubet Du Rouet 15:48 - Supreme Rock 17:33 - Totilas 19:28 - La Biosthetique Sam FBW 21:57 - Valegro

[@sacriface777]

So glad to see that FEI didn’t want to show all the drama and the downfall of Toto. Sorry to say this, but he should have never left E.G.

[@Julia-mi2ij]

He should have never fell into the hands of Gal either.

[@bubbles3117]

@@Julia-mi2ij at least he was mentally and physically better with Edward, then with Matthias. They literally send their own farrier over twice to Germany because Totilas had a special way of doing his hooves so they could teach their farrier and they just didn't take his advice and then rode him when he wasnt sound.

[@Julia-mi2ij]

@@bubbles3117 Mentally maybe, but pshysically about the same. Sadly I think Totilas was lame when they bought him but due to his artificial gaits they could pass it of as that. He never extended both his front legs to the same height regardless of who rode him, except for during the five year old final where we saw him first. When they tried riding him with less rollkur his issues started showing and then Matthias started training for Edwards trainer Sjef Janssen. Next competition we got the rollkur photos. Sadly there are several on Edward doing the same thing. I could send a text that disusses how none of them did Totilas justice if you'd like as I personally found it very interesting to read!

[@amobaleiasassassinas]

@@Julia-mi2ij Could you send a link please? Interested in learning about that

[@Tinyvalkyrie410]

@@Julia-mi2ij I’d also like more information on this

[@briannamercedes4016]

Forgetting Hickstead :P

[@maggymarsh4787]

Big Ben. How in the world did he miss this list? He was positively amazing

[@suzanneyoung8011]

My favorite Olympic horse of all time was the great Thoroughbred mare Touch of Class. She won two gold medals for the US team at the 1984 Olympics in LA in show jumping, and was the first horse ever to complete two clear rounds back to back in Olympic history. She won gold medals at five Nations Cup competitions and many more.

[@kadovax6567]

I will never forget Totilas and you all know why ❤

[@1sugarkali]

My favorite pair of all time is without a doubt Valegro and Charlotte. They truly had an amazing bond and partnership and I just love how happy and proud Valegro always looked after finishing a ride. He always looked healthy and in harmony opposed to Totilas, who I always felt so bad for. He looked his best under Edward, I agree, but even then he often looked distressed and movements were not soft and natural like Valegro. I don’t agree with Edwards training methods at all and I think it’s a disgrace to the art of dressage that these riders (who use rollkur etc.) are still so applauded and rewarded to this day. More should be like Charlotte and Valegro or they shouldn’t compete at all. That’s my honest opinion.

[@Quincy_V.T]

Same

[@lil1thquinzel575]

Valegro is an absolute God in dressage. He's the reason I could finally appreciate the art of dressage, the connection between horse and rider, the subtle ques and requests from rider to horse, and observing the pair create a beautiful artistic dance. Just blown away 😍👌🏻💃🏻🐴

[@jojoelliz_]

Valegro and Totilas were game changing horses for me to see. Totilas in 2009 made me obsessed with dressage, and when I began to forget about it and began jumping, Valegro brought me back to it ❤️ such amazing animals!

[@kerry3546]

Horses of passion. I’m not going to watch this because I’m going to cry, but I loved their journeys.

[@tinamariasteenfathjenskole99]

Great video! Missed Jappeloup, though. Nice to learn more about Charisma. I only knew the horse by name. I liked Totilas, but for me Valegro is the top.

[@sadie_dw1834]

Truly amazing horses

[@shellonabeach4273]

Agreed

[@jeanneleone2150]

There was a mare they called Biue she was magnificent and I will never forget her

[@elkefaber8873]

Blue Horse Matinee 🤩

[@misssophie6515]

Valegro. Not just for how amazingly he moves in the ring, but also for how much he touches and inspires people. When I finally stood next to him for the first time I was even more amazed, very different from any horse I have ever met, like you are standing in some higher presence (I know that sounds silly, but some horses have that, looking at you very calmly and with a sense of knowing, I almost shed a tear). But many more horses come to mind, it is impossible to pick just a handful if you love horses.

[@mrs.c5471]

That’s exactly how I felt when I was standing and petting Secretariat when he retired to Claiborne Farm in Paris Ky. It was so unreal, and if I didn’t have the pictures I wouldn’t believe it happened. Besides giving me my daughter, this was the BEST gift my 1st husband ever gave me.

[@misssophie6515]

@@mrs.c5471 Wow! Thanks for sharing!

[@janne_f9870]

Sam is the greatest horse ever! Regards from Germany.

[@bellabuilds6060]

My favorite is Valegro i Think he has been the best horse of all time

[@gwenewalsh5684]

Where's Hickstead??!! I loved this video thanks for putting it together!

[@janiczkahell]

Valegro is Valegro. But Charlotte! She's a proof of that for horses it's possible to be that successful and be trained by normal training methods! 😍 England have to be very proud of her.

[@luv.georgie5047]

Valegro is a legend not soon to be forgotten, if ever forgotten. The best dressage horse ever (my opinion) In the words of a (I actually think is was Valegros last proformance) judge “ not only are we looking at One of the greatest Grand Prix horses in the world but one of the best Grand Prix riders in the world. They are truly a great team before and after his retirement. PS Mount Saint John Freestyle is amazing as well

[@luv.georgie5047]

Also, his barn name ❤️ Blueberry

[@justtanartist2257]

The very first horse video I ever saw was his last performance that was 2 years ago now I watch every single one of FEI's videos. And I ride my own horse and I'm learning how to do shoulder ins and it's amazing

[@justtanartist2257]

That's not to say I wasn't writing before I was but I wasn't focusing on improving

[@ClaireEmilia]

Kristina bröring-Sprehe will surely surpass Charlotte

[@pixel_ponies3752]

RIP Totilas

[@cordywitt6400]

Enjoyed watching, well done! ♡♡♡

[@oreokeks19]

I was waiting for Sam to be announced 😂 best horse ever

[@ClaireEmilia]

Me too! I feel like he is always overlooked and under-appreciated! More iconic than Valegro oe Totilas imo

[@patriciaariley5810]

So many great horses

[@graciemac6303]

Valegro - First and foremost, he has PERSONALITY PLUS! As a competitor he embodies perfection and a horse that was born for dressage

[@Lietjesmarket]

Beautiful line up Milton and totilas are my favorites. To bad there is no mention about totilas wenn totilas died.

[@jewelswenson2665]

They are all Super stars love them all ❤️

[@vindheimar2631]

I loved Milton!

[@kawakimieYT]

its missing a few horses, my suggestions to add are hickstead, halla, donnerhall and matinee.

[@trassel8853]

Lovely clip with very lovely horses! Though, as native to Gothenburg, I feel a need to point out that the competition mentioned when featuring Ratina Z, is not from Dortmund but from Scandinavium in Gothenburg.

[@cindyfranks2000]

my favorite jumper will always be Idle Dice. Saw him jump and ridden by Rodney Jenkins. they were awesome!

[@elselotte1189]

What about Rembrandt and Jappeloup?

[@ailisonkelland]

I have the footage of edward gal at Olympia. I filmed it for british dressage. I also have my footage of charlotte winning at Olympia too, record breaking at the time.. She had a copy i did for her.

[@freesiaangel88hoeppner75]

Snowman was not shown except in the opening images.

[@freesiaangel88hoeppner75]

@Madison Ruf so was I he’s a legendary Jumper in his own right; he came from nothing and became a multi-champion

[@knk4ever83]

He is a legend..I read the book about him..

[@Top5Empire]

I like totilas😍😍

[@PWals-bg5sh]

Baloubet du Rouet

[@avastina1071]

And don't forget Halla

[@helena5649]

o7 totilas he was a legend you will missed by a lot of people idk much about dressage but ik that just epic a legend horse

[@sofia6275]

Hello fellow twitch enjoyer

[@traceyvyver1392]

Charisma

[@Doryplory]

Valegro ❤❤❤

[@Carmen_and_Prince]

My coach has a foal and its granddad is Totilas

[@menphis_the_horse7254]

Valegro is leteraly my hero he is who hot be absolutely obsessed with riding as nd dressage I have probably watched every single persormance of his atleast 100 times I was so sad when he retired but I'm happy he is living his best life and I will never forget him 😍❤️😉😔☺️🙂😀😔😉😁😊☺️

[@magicsaphira1214]

For me Totilas was the best Dressage Horse, but I miss Anky van Grunsven's Salinero, who became a Olympic Champion two times in a row.

[@salomewild6612]

How can anybody forget about Halla in a video like that?

[@Fotofee82]

What about Rembrandt? He is missing in this list

[@sinage1098]

Ratina 💞

[@athglade2170]

Totilas and Ed are forever my favourite combination.

[@hendriksalverda2745]

Salinero parzival?

[@hawkblood_art]

Ironic that in Germany Totilas is the face of animal abuse in Dressage- oop

[@graciemac6303]

?

[@Julia-mi2ij]

@@graciemac6303 He was abused sadly. Could send some links discussing it if you'd like

[@graciemac6303]

@@Julia-mi2ij as much as I want to say no, it well maker me sick - I have to say yes, I need to learn what is going on. Long story, but freak accident, lost one leg below knee and one above, and had to sell my farm (only six horses but still 💔). Thanks Julia 🙂

[@FluxyMiniscus]

@@graciemac6303 oh no! I hope you’re healing well, and can return to riding / being with horses soon- I fully believe that horses are miraculous healers. They have saved me numerous times over my life. Sending sunshine from AZ🌞

[@ClaireEmilia]

How is that Ironic?

[@PWals-bg5sh]

En Totilas

[@christinetracey8090]

Valegro no two ways about it.

[@justtanartist2257]

1000th like

[@user-sl9rz5oj2z]

For me tortillas is the greatest because he doesn’t care about the bad things and kept pushing himself even with all the pain with rolkur

[@horseystuff9717]

Ummm... Valegro set his first new world record in 2012 olympics and then again at 2014 in Olympia

[@anamiagu]

Boyd Exell's Daphne should have been here

[@Tinyvalkyrie410]

I don’t think either of these are the best horse, but the ones that have really stuck with me over the years are Blue Hors Matine and Theodore O’Connor. Both died way too soon

[@r.v.7885]

Oldenberg? Come on guys, you are the FEI and should have your breeds straight and spelled right!

[@sonja8644]

same with Zangersheide.

[@gabbylozuna5839]

i think it’s spelled differently in Europe but i could be wrong

[@hawkblood_art]

@@gabbylozuna5839 Nope, it's always Oldenburg. Like the city name

[@FluxyMiniscus]

Did he say that Ratina Z was cloned??😲

[@TinaOe]

Yup! She was cloned a bunch of times! They mostly use them for breeding.

[@julianaplugge5980]

Sam is the best ♥️

[@lifewithlunafproadto1007]

I now own a z horse!

[@caramelcookies6434]

Probably valegro .

[@frankapaus8366]

and Halla ????

[@nadinesparks1894]

Big Ben and Ian Millar

[@isalotte04]

Where's Tamarillo?

[@mojojo1980]

What was he putting in his pocket (john and milton) 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@PonyTrotsky]

In dressage, I'd vote for Ahlerich, hands down. Second, maybe Rembrandt? Or Marzog? Today's horses just don't do it for me - too stilted and over-controlled to be really beautiful.

[@terrywestin8349]

Did not put Ravel on this one he and Stefan Peter's were amazing

[@ambercurry5508]

Valegro

[@shellonabeach4273]

I'm early so get your free tacos here! 🌮🌮🌮

[@poopstick2711]

🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮

[@richardosborne2067]

Winx 33 straight wins. MAKYBE DIVA 3 CONSECUTIVE MELBOURNE CUPS

[@nestormaceda1]

ToTiLaS WaS NoT ThAt GoOd wahh wahhh wahhh

[@Pepuli]

How come Rocky is an Irish Sport Horse but his parents are Thoroughbreds?

[@anastasiaduthie2955]

Rocky was born and bred in Ireland and registered as a ISH, his dam and granddam were also ISH as Rocky's maternal great granddam was an Irish Draught. The rest of his pedigree are all TB's

[@Pepuli]

@@anastasiaduthie2955 Thanks!

[@anastasiaduthie2955]

@@Pepuli You're welcome 😊

[@deschwa92]

Irish sports horse are (at least the traditionally bred) a mix of irish draught and thoroughbreds (connemaras are also allowed).

[@EmmaBjornklevLundin]

For me, H&M All In is one of the absolute best horses in history.

[@sugaz5435]

Ryan's Son is missing from the list o.0 how could you miss him out?

[@Scarlet_eqYT]

Sadly tortillas was abused😢

[@lisahuish539]

Some of these guys are too big for the horses they jump. That’s what happened to Christopher Reeves, from what I’ve been told he was too big for his horse

[@lulabellegnostic8402]

Oh, so there goes the fairytail that charisma was an u trained pony captured ‘from a field’. In a time where the steeplechase and paths had been dumped from eventing to advantage the dressage phase, is it any wonder todd won the olympics on a dressage horse? Notice this horse never won the hard core of eventing ( burghley and badminton) where XC is the decider of ability and merit.

[@lpsshine8577]

How was secretariat not in this

[@julieenslow5915]

They were doing Eventing, High Jumps and Dressage. Secretariat did none of those, and though I love of him the most of all horses, of those in this video, Valegro is my favorite.

[@rosannevanvliet2008]

Toen leefde hij nog.....

[@dontlookforme7666]

toto was the result of human greed

[@DCSquirrel]

I just asked my mother this question. She knows nothing about horses and doesn’t follow equestrian sports. Her immediate answer: Boomerang.

[@pardonig]

but unfortunately Totilas was abused and mistreated to do rollkur and dressage steps

[@thinexd4156]

Cassidy?

[@vistrode9604]

One should ask the question how old and in what condition did these horses die so that their rides can claim fame????

[@esteraweglowska7025]

Perfect French Hahaha

[@cherylmillard2067]

President's Jack Sparrow ridden by Patrick van der Meer

[@ilviewittek2056]

Wtf why do you put Totilas in it . A abused horse. Witch looks like you put 3 together

[@dieterschubert1294]

Poor Totilas. His life an endless cruelty 🤬

[@suefergusson5351]

Unfortunately, Mark Todd, Loved, Charisma, more than just emotionally, he did so PHYSICALLY also,DISGUSTING

[@kippen64]

Totilas was a flashy overrated dressage horse. Definitely not classically correct. More circus horse than dressage horse.

[@kadovax6567]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion 😉

[@saveukrainianhorses3222]

😱..OMG!..Watching only 'Highland ponies' Hunter trial' ,'Iron maiden', 'Kayiley Minorge'..?..etc..then critisize Toti?..😹😹..😰😰😰..R.I.P Toti..E .G had ridden one of your sons with your freestyle to music then won the Dutch championship again..everone cried..Run free with Poetin etc..🌈..

[@deschwa92]

EG did his bondage games with him. Sad!

[@Julia-mi2ij]

@@saveukrainianhorses3222 Edward abused and broke Totilas, just like he's now breaking Total US.

[@SnidgetAsphodel]

Imagine insulting an animal giving his all for our entertainment. Says a lot about a person. Have some respect.