Valegro and Uthopia retired together
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Dujardin shares emotional tribute to Valegro
LONDON, – Valegro, the great “dancing horse” who took Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin to three Olympic dressage gold medals in 2012 and 2016, has been put to sleep along with his stablemate and fellow Olympic champion Uthopia.
Carl Hester, who won team gold with Uthopia at the 2012 London Olympics, announced the news in a statement.
“It is with immense sadness that we have said goodbye to Valegro and Uthopia and without question, this is a loss that just feels hard to comprehend,” he said.
“Their entire lives ran in parallel; they travelled to the shows side by side, lived in neighbouring stables, grazed in the same fields and retired together. Their bond and companionship were absolute,” he added.
Valegro also known as Blueberry retired in 2016 after one final appearance in front of a 10,000-strong crowd at the London International Horse Show and was 23. Uthopia was 24.
Once described as the “Muhammad Ali of dressage”, a once-in-a-lifetime horse who won the heart of a nation at the home Games, he and Uthopia lived out a pampered retirement at Hester’s yard in rural England.
“I knew of course this day would come but I don’t think I could ever be ready for it,” Dujardin, who missed the 2024 Paris Olympics and was suspended for a year after whipping a horse’s legs, wrote in a post on Instagram.
“You have been my constant, my rock. Through the highest highs and the lowest lows, your gentle presence, your steady heartbeat, the silent moments we shared together have been my everything, the place I could always go to,” she wrote.
“I’ve never sat on a horse like you, Blueberry.”
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