Charlotte Dujardin Mourns the Loss of Olympic Champion Valegro

Charlotte Dujardin has paid a touching tribute to her beloved dressage partner Valegro, who has passed away at 23. The horse was euthanized due to health complications, marking the end of an extraordinary era in British equestrian sport.

Valegro and Dujardin achieved unparalleled success together, winning double gold at the London 2012 Olympics in both the individual and team dressage events. They followed this triumph with another individual gold at Rio 2016, establishing Valegro as the most decorated dressage horse in British history.

Alongside their Olympic victories, the duo also earned two gold medals at the World Equestrian Games and six golds at the European Dressage Championships, cementing their status as icons of the sport.

Dujardin, now 40, shared her sorrow on Instagram in her first post since receiving a year-long ban from competition following an investigation into a video showing her whipping a horse excessively. Reflecting on her bond with Valegro, she wrote, “I knew of course this day would come, but I don’t think I could ever be ready for it. 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…”

Adding to the heartbreak, Uthopia, Valegro’s stablemate and part of Britain’s gold-winning dressage team at the 2012 Olympics with Carl Hester, was also recently euthanized at 24 due to health issues. Hester expressed his gratitude for both horses, saying, “Valegro and Uthopia did more than win medals and write history, they gave our sport a golden era. They made a nation proud and inspired so many. Allowing them to leave this world together was the final act of loyalty and dignity I felt I could give them.”

The passing of these two champions marks the close of a remarkable chapter in British dressage, leaving a lasting legacy of excellence, inspiration, and deep human-animal connection.