Dressage icons Valegro, 23, and Uthopia, 24, have passed away, prompting an outpouring of emotion as Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin share deeply personal tributes honouring the legendary partners and their extraordinary impact on the sport.
“Sleep well Blueberry and Uti, two of the greatest horses of our generation,” begins the tribute published by Carl Hester on Monday evening.
“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.
“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.”
Partnered with Charlotte Dujardin, Valegro (Negro x Olympic Ferro) claimed double gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics, as well as individual gold and team silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The duo also secured two individual gold medals and a team silver at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, alongside two World Cup Final wins and several European Championship medals. The Dutch Warmblood was retired at London International Horse Show in December 2016. Today, he still holds world record scores in the Grand Prix (87.46%) and Grand Prix Freestyle (94.3%).
Ridden by Carl Hester, the Dutch Warmblood stallion Uthopia (Metall x Olympic Ferro) was part of the gold medal–winning team at the 2012 London Olympics, and also contributed to team gold and dual individual silver at the 2011 European Championships, as well as team bronze at the 2013 European Championships.
“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,” continues Hester’s tribute.
“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.
“I love you…”
Charlotte Dujardin also published an extensive tribute to her champion equine partner.
“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. And I’m sitting here, summoning up the courage to write this, knowing I’ll never have the words, knowing they’ll never be enough, but wanting to share something anyway because so many people loved you and it just feels like the right thing to do. You have been and still are so loved.
“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. 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…
“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. 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. Seeing eyes light up – what a difference you made. To those who were able to meet you, even if just passing by, you gave hope, love and belief – you genuinely changed people’s lives, just with a touch, a nuzzle, warm breath on a face; just by being you. 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.
“You chose me. And I was forever yours. I don’t know why, or how, but I thank my lucky stars you did. 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.
“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.”
“As life as old boys advanced, so too did the health challenges…”
Uthopia, 24, and Valegro, 23, were both facing age-related health challenges.
“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,” reads Hester’s tribute.
“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.”
“We only get to carry what they leave inside us. And these two left us so much.”
Equestrian Life’s thoughts are with Carl Hester, Charlotte Dujardin, groom Alan Davies and all those connected with these special horses.
