Heartbroken farewell to beloved superstars Valegro and Uthopia who created dressage’s golden era

There is an “emptiness in the air” in the yard, Carl Hester said, as superstars Valegro and Uthopia have been put down, aged 23 and 24 respectively.

The legendary horses, who with Carl and Charlotte Dujardin changed the face of British dressage and “gave our sport a golden era”, were the best of friends throughout their lives; Carl said letting them go together was “the final act of loyalty and dignity I felt I could give them”.

“Sleep well Blueberry and Uti, two of the greatest horses of our generation,” he said.

“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 Charlotte together won three Olympic gold medals; team and individual in 2012 and individual in 2016, when the team won silver. They won individual world gold in 2014, European gold in 2013 and 2015, and back-to-back World Cup Final titles – and broke just about every dressage record going.

Carl and Uthopia were also on the team that won Olympic gold in 2012; they also took team and European gold and individual silver in 2011 and team bronze in 2013.

“Valegro and Uthopia did more than win medals and write history, they gave our sport a golden era,” Carl said. “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.”

Carl said that as their years advanced, so too did their 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,” he said.

“They leave behind a huge void, and the yard has changed for ever 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.”

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Carl Hester and Uthopia at the 2011 European Championships, where they won two individual silvers and team gold. Credit: Alamy
Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro and Carl Hester on Uthopia lead the European gold-winning team in 2011, alongside Laura Tomlinson (Mistral Højris) and Emile Faurie (Elmegardens Marquis)

Credit: Peter Nixon

Take a look at Carl and his 19-year-old London Olympics mount continuing to strutt their stuff at home

There’s no doubting that Olympic dressage gold-medallist Uthopia is a much-loved personality in the equestrian world. But a new photo

Credit: Future

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H&H news editor

Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.