VALEGRO, arguably the greatest dressage horse of all time, was put to sleep last week along with his stablemate and teammate Uthopia, at the ages of 23 and 24. The announcement was made by British dressage legend Carl Hester.

“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. Trying to write a tribute to these two horses feels harder than I imagined. The yard just doesn’t feel the same without them, there’s an emptiness in the air,” Hester said.

“Valegro and Uthopia did more than win medals and write history, they gave our sport a golden era. They both showed that greatness can be gentle, sensitive and harmonious and they made a nation proud and inspired so many.

“Being part of their journey will always remain one of my proudest achievements and the whole team and myself are deeply grateful for the joy they gave to us at home, but also to their fans around the world. 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.

“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, honouring a partnership that had never been separated in life. They leave behind a huge void, and the yard has changed forever and so have we. They were our family and I will love and miss them always. The impact they had will remain but sadly, we don’t get to keep horses forever.”

World beater

Valegro, owned by Roly Luard and Anne Barrott, was bred by Joop and Maartje Hanse. He moved to Hester’s yard aged two, and was given to Charlotte Dujardin to bring on for Hester. However, they bonded so well, it was decided she would keep the ride.

That turned out to be a good decision as the pair went on to win three Olympic gold medals; team and individual at London 2012 and individual at Rio 2016, when the team won silver. They won individual world gold in 2014, European gold in 2013 and 2015, and back-to-back World Cup Final titles. They broke almost every record going and still hold them.

Carl and Uthopia were also on the team that won Olympic gold in 2012; they also took team European gold and individual silver in 2011 and team bronze in 2013.

In a long and emotional tribute to Valegro, Charlotte said: “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.

“I’ve never sat on a horse like you, Blueberry. It was always your heart and your mind that made you the best. We grew together, learned together, believed together. You would enter the arena and just know how special you were - I could feel you grow. You transformed our sport, yes. The London Olympics was the greatest stage and we had no idea how our worlds would change, just a girl and a horse, trying our best.

“But the biggest gift of all was the amount of joy you brought to this world. You made people smile every single day of your life. What a rare and special gift that is.”