Olympic gold medallist retires: ‘A horse like that comes round only once in a lifetime’

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Thibaut Vallette and Qing Du Briot IFCE take double bronze at the 2015 European Championships at Blair Castle
Thibaut Vallette and Qing Du Briot IFCE take double bronze at the 2015 European Championships at Blair Castle.
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Qing Du Briot IFCE, who has been a stalwart of French championship teams with event rider Lt Col Thibaut Vallette, will be officially retired later this month, aged 18.

The horse was bought by the federation body Institut Français du Chevalier et de l’Equitation at the end of his six-year-old year and Thibaut, who is an officer in the Cadre Noir at Saumur, started riding him a year later.

Pippa Roome
Pippa Roome
Magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.