Top British judge Isobel Wessels, who was on the panel at all of Valegro’s record-breaking performances, has remembered him and Uthopia for their talent and characters – and putting Britain on the world stage.
Isobel described Valegro (Blueberry) and Uthopia (Uti) as being “both such complete horses”.
“When you judged them they both had clearly been so well trained and were so willing. It was the beginning of all of this wonderful harmony we talk about now. Those two, coming with Carl and Charlotte, they started the ‘pole’ rolling so to speak,” Isobel told H&H.
“We’d seen lovely combinations in the past, but these horses just always gave me the feeling that they were happy in their job. They loved what they did, and they did it with such ease and willingness. They both just got better and better, and that isn’t always the case with horses.”
Uthopia and Valegro first made their mark at the European Dressage Championships at Rotterdam in 2011, under Carl and Charlotte, helping deliver Britain’s first European team gold medal – alongside teammates Laura Tomlinson and Mistral Hojris and Emile Faurie and Elemegardens Marquis. It was at this competition that Uthopia came to the forefront, taking individual silver, behind the Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen and Pazival.
“Uti was just like a little powerhouse. He came across as being not a huge mover, but his extended trot just came out of something inside him. There was this willingness,” she said.
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“He wasn’t the biggest horse in stature, but the way Carl trained him, it was every other moment one was thinking ‘Wow, where did that come from?’. I’ll never forget in Rotterdam when he got all 10s for his extended trot. He was small but mighty. That was the beginning of this power pair coming up, that was their first step.”
Isobel said Valegro was “such an enormous character”.
“Blueberry was like a big rubber ball; just so talented but he had this character and personality. When you sat on the side of the arena judging he, he grabbed you,” she said.
“I’m so proud that I was on the jury of all his record-breaking scores for the grand prix, special and freestyle. I feel very honoured my name was on all those test sheets.”
Isobel added that judging Valegro and Uthopia made her job very enjoyable.
“Horses that have some spectacular moments are of course wonderful to observe and judge, but when you have this complete horse, which they both were, it was like a symphony. Every note was so beautiful,” she said.
“There was no struggle, it was just a natural easygoing picture, where the horses blossomed and became more and more because of who they were and their wonderful training.”
Isobel said that Valegro and Uthopia “put Britain on the world stage”.
“It’s been the showcase of our traditional and worldly respected horsemanship and ability,” she said.
“I think with those horses, it was just like: ‘Bang, here we are on the world stage – look out, Britain’s coming’.”
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
