Equestrians Salute Valegro for Final Farewell at Olympia
Three-time Olympic Champions Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro entered the Olympia Grand Hall for a final time, performing their London 2012 Gold medal winning freestyle test to a sell-out crowd in a touching retirement ceremony on Wednesday 14th December, 2016.
In 2014 the pair set the Freestyle Dressage world record at Olympia, and currently hold the highest Olympic score in the Freestyle. Beyond their phenomenal medal haul, the pair have achieved a great amount for the sport itself, as acknowledged by British Dressage in a special award ceremony during last night’s performance.
Speaking after the ceremony, Charlotte Dujardin said,
“There have been so many happy memories, he’s won every gold medal there is, including three Olympic golds and two FEI World Cup™ titles. He’s a once in a lifetime horse and I’ll miss competing with him enormously.”
Valegro and Charlotte were joined in the arena by mentor and part-owner, Carl Hester, as well as groom Alan Davies, in what was an emotional last dance. The packed-out stands gave the duo a well-deserved standing ovation as they paraded out of the arena.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.