The fabulous dressage star Valegro marked his 21st birthday last week.
Atop the Olympic multi-gold medal champion for the occasion was the daughter of his famous rider, Charlotte Dujardin. The fact that little Isabella Rose is not even six months old (she was born March 7) of course meant the child had to be supported on Valegro’s back by her mother. But it was wonderful to see Valegro looking fine, as always, and carrying a representative of the next generation of British dressage (one can hope.)
Charlotte and Valegro on their way to glory at the 2012 London Olympics. (Photo © 2012 by Nancy Jaffer)
Valegro symbolized a historic milestone for that nation when he led that its team to a breakthrough gold at the 2012 London Games, then picked up individual gold for Charlotte with a freestyle to music that included the chimes of England’s iconic Big Ben and appropriately, an Olympic Fanfare. She earned 90.089 percent (just missing her British freestyle record at the time of 90.65 percent), still a memorable achievement for herself, the horse and her country.
It was a privilege to be an accredited journalist in Greenwich Park for the occasion, and stand so close as Charlotte waited for the medal presentation that I could see the tears she kept wiping away with her white gloved hands (I remember I felt like offering her a handkerchief).
“I just wanted to go out there today and enjoy it and not regret anything,” Charlotte said at the time, and that’s what she did. The afternoon is so clear in my memory that I can’t believe it was 11 years ago, but its imprint is indelible.
Isabella Rose sits atop Valegro on his 21st birthday. (Photo by Jess Photography)
Valegro’s emergence on the scene under the skillful direction of trainer Carl Hester marked a transition for what played best in dressage at the top level.
This horse was more about harmony than power, very correct in the way he executed the movements, but doing it with a fluid style that made him a star. Valegro clinched my romance with dressage, and as such, captured a special place in my heart.
Valegro was 10 then, and still had many more gold medals in him, including the 2014 world championships and the 2016 Olympics, where the score for his winning freestyle was 93.857. Charlotte called him “the most amazing horse that there is” and I agree, even seven years after his retirement from showing.
Fans at the Central Park Horse Show in 2016 mobbed Valegro and Charlotte Dujardin when they made an appearance before the horse’s official retirement. (Photo © 2016 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
I was privileged to write about many great horses before Valegro, including Reiner Klimke’s 1984 individual gold ride, Ahlerich, and many successful horses after him, including current Olympic champion TSF Dalera BB and world champion Glamourdale, with his amazing reach.
But Valegro, nicknamed Blueberry, is the one who will always stand out for me. It brings joy to see how well he looks (but what would you expect with Carl and Charlotte always mindful of him?) They were so wise to retire him following Rio. After all, what more did he have to prove? But he kept his fans happy by making many special appearances, including his visit to Central Park in 2016 and later that year, his farewell performance at Olympia during the London International Horse Show.
Valegro performing at Central Park. (Photo © 2016 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
If Valegro were a young man, at age 21 he would have many wonderful years ahead of him to hone his craft. But 21 is not young for a horse, even one in such great shape as Valegro. I hope he is with us in his current capacity for many years to come, as a symbol of all that is right for the sport and a light that continues to shine with special care and love.
