Dec. 7, 2016
A photo album of the two Olympics, one World Games, three European Championships and two World Cup Finals in which Valegro and Charlotte Dujardin competed. Valegro will retire at the Olympia International Horse Show in London, a farewell to the competition arena at the top of the sport, just four months after capturing a second Olympic individual gold medal. Charlotte and Valegro never left a championship without a gold medal.
2011 European Championships – Rotterdam
The first international championship for Valegro, then nine years old, and Charlotte Dujardin was the European Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Great Britain won team gold with Carl Hester on Uthopia placing first individually, Adelinde Cornelissen on Jerich Parzival second, Matthias Alexander Rath on Totilas third and Charlotte and Valegro placed 4th in the Grand Prix. Charlotte and Valegro were 6th in the Special and 9th in the Freestyle. © 2011 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com 2012 Olympic Games – London
Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro celebrating their historic 2012 Olympic individual gold medal after leading Great Britain to team gold, the first dressage Olympic medal for the nation in 100 years of equestrian sports at the Games. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com 2013 European Championships – Herning, Denmark
Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro placed first in the Grand Prix, Special and Freestyle and Great Britain took team bronze at the European Championships in Herning, Denmark in 2013. The British pair as well as second placed Helen Langehanenberg of Germany on Damon Hill and the third placed Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen on Jerich Parzival all went off course in the Grand Prix Special that brought this reaction from Charlotte and good natured laughter from the crowd. © 2013 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com Valegro munching on flowers held by Charlotte Dujardin before the gold medal Freestyle victory gallop at the 2013 European Championships. © 2013 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com 2014 World Equestrian Games – Normandy, France
Valegro looks away while Charlotte Dujardin and Alan Davies hug after winning Freestyle gold at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy in 2014. © 2014 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro celebrating gold medal victory at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France. © 2014 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com 2015 World Cup Final – Las Vegas
Valegro and Charlotte Dujardin applauded by spectators after their Freestyle performance at the World Cup Final in Las Vegas. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro celebrating 2015 World Cup title at Las Vegas, the second year the British duo won the annual global championship. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com 2015 European Championships – Aachen, Germany
Valegro knows he belongs center stage with Charlotte Dujardin at the European Championships in Aachen, Germany in 2015. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro adorned with gold medal, sashes and winner’s rug as European individual champions at Aachen, Germany in 2015. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com 2016 Olympic Games – Rio de Janeiro
Charlotte Dujardin displaying individual Olympic gold medal won on Valegro at 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Charlotte and Valegro’s two individual Olympic gold medals matched the achievements of only two other combinations in history have achieved–Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands on Salinero in 2004 and 2008 and Nicole Uphoff of Germany on Rembrandt in 1988 and 1992. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com The two people who along with Charlotte make up the human triumvirate in Valegro’s life are Carl Hester, part owner, trainer and mentor of Charlotte, and Alan Davies, who takes care of Valegro.
Carl Hester on Uthopia and Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro with Olympic team gold medals at London. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com Alan Davies minding Valegro after Charlotte Dujardin and the KWPN gelding won Olympic individual gold at Rio de Janeiro. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com Central Park was not a championship but Valegro’s farewell appearance captured the hearts of New Yorkers in an up-close and personal celebration by Valegro and Charlotte Dujardin who embraced the Big Apple as much as they were embraced. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
