Valegro wowed his fans in a special guest appearance at Hartpury Festival of Dressage on Saturday (8 July).
The record-breaking dressage superstar, ridden by Charlotte Dujardin, treated the packed stands to a demonstration during the evening gala at the Gloucestershire venue.
Top international judge Stephen Clarke narrated the display, before Charlotte and Valegro danced out to Tina Turner’s Simply The Best.
Something pretty special happened at Hartpury tonight…Posted by Horse & Hound: Dressage on Saturday, July 8, 2017
“It really was so special to have him there with us, because he’ll always be our horse in the million that made everything we ever dreamed of come true,” Charlotte wrote on her Facebook page.
“As always, he enjoyed meeting some of his fans in the morning and then, true to form, loved performing in the main arena at night and showing off during all of the applause from the crowd.
“Whilst not competition fit, given his long lazy days in the field, he is still ridden by me three times a week, hacked, bit of jumping and just generally enjoying life and all the fuss.”
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She added that he reminded everyone on Saturday why “he is every inch a superstar”.
“It still makes me emotional that he still gives me so much when I ask of him,” said Charlotte.
“It’s a privilege to still be able to enjoy him during his retirement and I cherish every day of being with this special horse.”
Valegro officially retired at Olympia last year and has been enjoying an active retirement at home.
A picture of him popping a jump at home last month, shared on Facebook by co-owner Carl Hester, has received more than 13,000 likes and 1,600 shares.
“He loves it. It’s just another string to his bow and it keeps the weight off his little belly,” Carl told H&H at the time.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
