Celebrated stablemates Valegro — who set a new standard for dressage performance at the 2012 Olympics — and Uthopia, who was his London Games gold medal teammate, have been euthanized. Valegro was 23; Uthopia 24.
Carl Hester, who trained both horses, explained, “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,” he stated on social media.
The Dutch warmbloods were stars on a team that put Great Britain on the dressage map in the biggest way possible, with team gold and an individual gold for Valegro’s rider, Charlotte Dujardin, in front of a home crowd in 2012.
Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro on their way to two gold medals at the 2012 Olympics in London. (Photo © 2012 by Nancy Jaffer)
Charlotte wrote a farewell message to her famous mount, saying, “Dear Blueberry (the horse’s nickname), 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.”
She added, “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.
“In those quiet moments we had so many conversations without words; you loved me completely, as I am. You saw my heart and I yours. 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.
“The hush of the crowd as everyone turned to look at you. It would make me sit a little taller, shoulders back, head up – I just wanted to do you proud, to show the world what you were capable of; I could feel every muscle in your body move, every breath you took, every shiver of excitement and we would just melt into each other, it was like you could hear my heart speak and I yours.
Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro in London with one of their gold medals.
“A partnership that everyone talks about, but you can’t really know until you’ve experienced it. And we danced Blueberry, didn’t we dance?”
In the process, there were record scores, a second Olympic individual gold medal in 2016, world championships, two World Cup titles and two European championships.
“You transformed our sport, yes,” Charlotte stated.
“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.”
Valegro did that again at the 2016 London International Horse Show, where he offered his final formal bow in an emotional retirement ceremony, though he did make a few appearances after that.
Valegro kept his cool when he was mobbed by the crowd at the 2016 Central Park Horse Show.
“Our story is one that anyone who’s ever loved a horse can relate to – far beyond the medals and the talent, the reason to keep going, the reason we get up in the morning and do what we do, for the simple love of a horse,” Charlotte wrote.
“You have been, and always will be, my one in a million and it has been the honour of my life to be not only your dance partner, but best friend. The magic we had, no one can take from us, and we will dance again one day.”
Carl Hester and Uthopia at the London Games. (Photo © 2012 by Nancy Jaffer)
As Carl noted about the two special horses who were traveling companions and pasturemates, “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.”
Valegro and Uthopia (Rose Lewis photo.)
“We only get to carry what they leave inside us. And these two left us so much.”
Dickie Waygood, the dressage chef d’equipe for the British teams at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, analyzed the abilities and style of the two horses.
“Valegro was an exceptionally talented athlete and when coupled with his amazing character and happy expression, he was the total package. He was technically so correct and had an almost indescribable brilliance, but it was his brain that made him what he was. He knew exactly when to perform and when to switch off. I once referred to him as a ‘dressage genius’ which he absolutely was.
“In Uthopia, Carl found a horse which typified is own riding style. Soft, natural, relaxed; they were a great partnership. At the 2011 Europeans, it was so rewarding to see Carl on the podium individually having led the team to a historic first gold medal and it was the quiet, unassuming ‘Uti’ who gave him that special moment.”
Carl had a final wish for the pair of extraordinary equine athletes: “Sleep well Blueberry and Uti, two of the greatest horses of our generation.”
