Valegro, one of the sport’s most well-known dressage horses, has been euthanized at the age of 23, along with his best buddy, Uthopia, who was 24. The horses, who had been enjoying retirement together at Carl Hester’s yard in Gloucestershire, England, were both suffering the infirmities of old age and the decision was made to humanely euthanize them on the same day so that they would not stress over the loss of their friend.
Valegro, a bay Dutch Warmblood gelding (Negro-Maifleur, by Gershwin), had won just about every gold medal possible for a dressage star during his long career with Charlotte Dujardin (GBR) including the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics (his last appearance), European championships in 2013 and 2015, World Cup Finals in 2015, and the 2014 WEG in France. The licensed stallion KWPN stallion Uthopia (Metall-Odelia, by Inspekteur) was ridden by Carl Hester on Great Britain’s gold medal team at the 2012 London Olympics, and competed in the 2011 and 2013 European Championships.
The horses’ co-owner Carl Hester called ‘Blueberry’ and ‘Uti’ “two of the greatest horses of our generation,” posting in part on Dec. 1 on his Facebook page:
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.
Valegro’s longtime rider, Charlotte Dujardin, wrote about her “one in a million” horse:
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 … And we danced Blueberry, didn’t we dance…
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. You were born to do it, you always knew who needed extra care – so gentle with my children and the many others who met you, particularly those unwell … I’m so glad William and Isabella met you – they will grow up knowing your name, hearing stories about you, looking at pictures and videos of you. You will live on, not just in theirs, but in so many peoples’ hearts, and that gives me great happiness – you deserve to, and will be, remembered forever.
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