Totilas, the world’s top dressage horse, will miss his seasonal debut at Hagen next week owing to injury.
The competition would have given the stallion’s many fans the chance to see him in action with new rider Matthias Rath for the first time, but a hoof abscess has scuppered the outing. Although the injury has now healed, Matthias has run out of time to prepare for the event.
“We very much regret not being able to compete in Hagen, but the health and welfare of Totilas and all our horses is always the top priority,” Matthias said in a statement. “We had a great feeling before the injury and were really looking forward to it.”
A new date to see the pair in action is expected in due course.
Totilas was previously ridden by Dutch star Edward Gal.