Celebrating Uthopia, Carl Hester’s small but mighty stallion who propelled Britain into the dressage stratosphere
On the eve of the 2025 European Dressage Championships when Britain is once again among the favourites for a medal, we look back at a major catalyst of this nation’s success between the white boards. Carl Hester’s ride Uthopia, who secured Britain’s first European team gold in 2011, helped build the country’s status as champions on the world dressage stage. In this piece from the H&H archives, Alice Collins charts this stallion’s eventful career
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Uthopia was the launchpad to Britain realising – after a lengthy medal drought – that team gold was within reach. Uthopia and Carl Hester stepped up to top level in 2010 and, just a year later, won the grand prix at the European Championships with 82.5%.
Until then, British gold was a pipe dream. Such has been Britain’s subsequent success that it’s hard to remember just how unlikely it seemed for so long. And that’s thanks, in large part, to a small black stallion who bounced like a pogo stick – and continues to thrive in retirement at Carl’s at the age of 24.
“Uti” was bred in the Netherlands and bought as a rough-and-ready three-year-old with a chewed tail by Dutch young horse producer Ivonne Lawrence, who had gone to view another horse.
“There was this little miniature horse looking at me with his beautiful face,” says Ivonne. “Uthopia was very small and had only been under saddle five times, but I sat on him and in my whole life I’ve never felt a horse like it. He had so much suspension it was like a trampoline, and cantering him felt like shooting off to the moon.”
Based on that exceptional feeling, Ivonne put concerns over his size aside. Uti was easy to train; if he learnt something once, he never forgot it. The pair finished seventh in the Pavo Cup final for four-year-olds and, although she was reluctant to sell the little guy, she forced her business head to overrule her heart and put him on the market. Step forward Carl Hester, shopping for a client.
How Uthopia landed with Carl Hester
Back at the Athens Olympics in 2004, Sasha Stewart was eventing for Ireland.
“I met Carl and told him I wanted to be a dressage rider when I grew up,” she says.
So, on a shopping trip to Holland, he was looking for a horse for each of them.
“Uthopia was the first horse I saw when I got off the plane in Amsterdam,” says Carl. “I had one quick sit on him and although he was very small, riding him was like jumping on a trampoline. He was so bouncy, energetic and sweet. I thought he’d be perfect for Sasha.
“I rang her and said, ‘As it’s the first one I’ve seen, you can have him and I’ll find something bigger for me.’ I never did.”
Sasha adds: “When I tried Uthopia I said, ‘He’s amazing, I love him, I’m taking him home.’”
A deal was struck and Uti went to Ireland.
“He threw me off the first day,” she admits. “He did this extravagant pirouette and I just plopped off like a total beginner, which was a surprise. Uti then galloped around my property and jumped a huge hedge with all his tack on. I thought, ‘Oh good, he jumps as well.’”
Soon after, Sasha became pregnant, so Uti went to Carl’s yard in Gloucestershire and hit the competition scene under Matt Frost. The pair won 10 of their first 11 starts, logging an 80% at novice level and standing regional champions at elementary. Carl rode him in young horse classes.
“He was just gorgeous and won everything,” says Carl. “His walk wasn’t the best, but he’d get nines and 10s to make up for it. He was incredibly easy to train.”
Carl’s long-time groom Alan Davies also fell for the compact stallion.
“He’s got the most divine character and he’s not stalliony at all,” says Alan. “I adore him and I often got into trouble for spending too much time with him.”
Carl and Uthopia’s one year at small tour, in 2009, raked in the prix st georges, the inter I and the inter I freestyle titles at the national championships. The following spring, Carl was heading to the Spanish Sunshine Tour and put Uti – then nine – on the lorry “for fun”. That trip resulted in four plus-71% wins from four starts at grand prix.
Uthopia and Carl Hester: “Like riding a computer, I just steered”
In 2011, at the picturesque venue of Fritzens in Austria, Uthopia found a new gear and aced the grand prix special, cracking 80% at the level for the first time. Valegro was just behind on 76% at his third FEI show.
“At Fritzens I got my first-ever 10,” recalls Carl. “Suddenly everyone was saying, ‘Wow, what a gorgeous horse.’ I was so used to riding him, I hadn’t really noticed.”
And given Valegro’s astronomic rise, it’s easy to see how Uthopia’s brilliance was shrouded as Carl poured everything into his protégée Charlotte Dujardin and her budding star. A month later, selection for the upcoming Europeans was hotting up and Carl headed to Hickstead with Uti.
“The breakthrough show was Hickstead in 2011,” says Carl, who once again topped 80% to win the grand prix. “There I met my first big gun in Parzival and beat him. Suddenly everyone realised we could actually win the Euros; it all happened so fast.”
Everything changed at the Rotterdam Europeans. With Uthopia on the team, flanked by Valegro and Mistral Hojris (Laura Tomlinson), in the blink of an eye, anything was possible.
“In the grand prix I knew I had to do something special for us to win gold. I floated around the arena and forgot how green Uti was. I just steered him; it was like riding a little computer.”
In the final extended trot, the crowd gasped as they saw seven 10s flash up.
“I heard that and thought something bad had happened,” he recalls. “At the final halt, they erupted and I was a bit bemused. Then the score [82.56%] went up; I’d won the grand prix at the Euros and we’d won gold. It was a defining moment.”
The pair went on to claim double individual silver – Carl’s first-ever individual medals – pipped twice by Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival.
“After the gold, we had a great party. I never expected to win the kür as that’s not my favourite, but I missed my changes in the special,” rues Carl. “I moved my legs too fast and that was my gold gone. Honestly, though, I thought an individual medal would never happen for me; I felt so much love for Uti at that show.”
Alan says, half joking: “Uti was the saving grace of British dressage when he won that grand prix. He should’ve won an individual gold, but I think Carl was a bit hungover.”
Uthopia and Carl Hester win Olympic gold on home turf
After the Europeans, offers to buy Uthopia ahead of the 2012 Olympics flooded in. A big-money sale was agreed, but Uti got sore feet. This meant the buyers couldn’t complete the purchase ahead of the FEI’s January transfer of ownership deadline, so Uthopia couldn’t be ridden by anyone of a different nationality at the Games. The sale evaporated and Sasha told Carl to keep Uti for the Olympics.
What a happy accident that proved to be. In front of a capacity home crowd, the same dream team of Carl, Charlotte and Laura did what many had deemed impossible just 18 months earlier: they won Olympic team gold. It was epic.
“Uthopia pulled it out of the bag and we finished third in the special,” recalls Carl. “By the freestyle, I was in a right state because Charlotte was on her own in the warm-up at her first Olympics and I just wanted to get it out the way and run back to help her on Valegro.”
In the months that followed, Carl had a surfeit of upcoming grand prix horses – Nip Tuck, Dances With Wolves and Fine Time – so he handed over the reins.
“Carl said Charlotte should ride Uti for the experience,” says Alan. “They ride and train together every day, but they ride completely differently and expect different things. Charlotte learnt an awful lot from Uti as he was completely different to Valegro.”
Uti and Charlotte were first or second in all six of the tests they contested. Carl’s other horses weren’t yet team-ready, so there was pressure for Carl to get back on for the 2013 Europeans in Herning.
“Charlotte had ridden Uti all season and Carl only rode him at one show; Hickstead, just a couple of weeks before Herning,” adds Alan. “For a dressage horse to do that in one season – especially a stallion – proves his amazing temperament. You couldn’t ask many horses to do that.”
Carl and Uthopia’s chunky scores in Herning, coupled with Valegro’s brilliance and solid performances from Michael Eilberg meant the British team added another medal – bronze – to their burgeoning haul.
A nightmare scenario before a fairytale ending
However, trouble was brewing. Sasha’s family suffered financial troubles and Uthopia became a ward of the court, which limited what he could do. The case dragged on for years, and Carl wasn’t always sure exactly where he stood.
“With the court case in full swing, they said I shouldn’t compete the horse, and that I shouldn’t have even ridden him in Herning. That’s why Charlotte started riding him again,” explains Carl. “I presumed – wrongly – that by then I was a part owner, but as I’d never technically purchased him, there was nothing I could do to stop the process.”
Uthopia was sold at public auction in May 2016. Nobody came to see him ahead of the sale and, with the help of some supporters, Carl drummed up what he hoped was enough money to bid on him remotely and secure his future. But, as the bidding ticked up, it wasn’t enough. The then 15-year-old stallion was bought by an anonymous man in the room for £165,000. Carl was devastated. The horse had remained at his yard, and Carl was simply told to await instructions. Days passed.
“It turned out the buyer had seen the video of Uti winning gold in London and bought him on the strength of that,” says Carl. “But when he approached some riders about taking him on, nobody was interested. He realised he’d made a big mistake.”
A friend of a friend of Carl’s – who wishes to remain anonymous to this day – stepped in.
“This angel appeared and negotiated to buy Uti back on the condition that I’d look after him for the rest of his life,” continues Carl. “I’m eternally grateful that she did that. I couldn’t believe that someone who’d never met me would be so kind and generous and give Uti the retirement he deserves. It was a fairytale ending after what he’d done for British dressage.”
While the court case was in progress, Charlotte successfully campaigned Uti at a couple of shows a year, until his swansong at Amsterdam in January of 2016.
These days, Uti goes in the field every morning alongside his bestie Valegro. The pair are “both foodies and eat every blade of grass they can get their mitts on”. Alan – who has since retired as their groom – remembers what a joy he was to ride.
“Uti was amazing to hack,” enthuses Alan. “He was bouncy and bold and never frightened me. If he was excited, he’d do a little piaffe or passage, but I knew him so well that I just patted him and ignored it. He could scare some of the younger girls, though.
“I’ve travelled hundreds of thousands of miles with Valegro – we have a huge bond – but I had to share him with Charlotte and the rest of the world. Uti was mine and mine only. He’s still my hero.”
Uti’s competitive days are behind him, but the hallmark he left on British dressage is indelible.
Did you know?
- Uti is 16.1hh (164cm).
- His best score was 84.17% for individual freestyle silver at the 2011 Europeans
- Fun fact: Carl had his tailcoat made shorter to help make Uti seem taller
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Legends of the sport: Totilas — ‘one of the most beautiful things I ever saw’ *H&H Plus*
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