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Valegro death: Iconic dressage horse passes away at 23, Charlotte Dujardin confirms
Valegro, Charlotte Dujardin’s famed dressage partner, died at 23. His final competitive ride was his 2016 Olympia freestyle, the 2012 Olympic routine.
Valegro, the iconic gelding that British rider Charlotte Dujardin rode to glory in the sport of dressage, has passed away 23-years-old, Dujardin confirmed in a post on Instagram Monday. Valegro, trained and owned by Carl Hester, delivered his final competitive performance at the London International Horse Show 2016 - on December 14, 2016.
Notably, at his retirement, he performed the same freestyle-to-music event for which he won gold in the 2012 Olympics.
Carl Hester, the owner of the horse, confirmed on Facebook that he was euthanized along with Uthopia, another Dutch Warmblood gelding.
“Dear Blueberry,” Charlotte Dujardin wrote in a message to Valegro on Instagram, announcing his death. “I love you. I don’t know how to start this with any other words. I knew of course this day would come, but I don’t think I could ever be ready for it.”
Who Was Valegro?
Valegro, Dutch Warmblood gelding, was one of the iconic dressage horses to have taken part in international competitions. Rode by Charlotte Dujardin, Valegro was the world-record holder in Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special, and Grand Prix Freestyle dressage.
He collected multiple top honours — Olympic golds, world and European titles, and numerous Grand Prix wins.
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He retired from competitions in December 2016. The formal retirement was announced to coincide with the 2016 CDI‑W London Olympia Horse Show. The official retirement ceremony took place on 14 December 2016 after his final performance.
However, Valegro stayed active: he would be ridden occasionally and appear in demonstrations, exhibitions, tours.
Carl Hester Confirms Uthopia's Passing
Along with Valegro, another legendary horse trained by Carl Hester has passed away, Hester confirmed in a post on X.
“As life as old boys advanced, so too did the health challenges, so allowing them to leave this world together was the final act of loyalty and dignity I felt I could give them, honoring a partnership that had never been separated in life,” Hester wrote.
