| Horsename: | Valegro |
| Breed: | Dutch Warmblood |
| Sire: | Negro |
| Grandsire: | Ferro |
| Dam: | Maifleur |
| Damsire: | Gershwin |
| Sex: | Gelding |
| Foaled: | 2002 |
| Country: | Netherlands |
| Colour: | Dark Bay |
| Owner: | Carl Hester Rowena Luard Anne Barrott |
| Rider: | Charlotte Dujardin |
| Trainer: | Carl Hester |
| Record: | Grand Prix world record, Grand Prix Special world record, Grand Prix Freestyle world record |
| Wins: | Olympic Individual Gold Brazil 2016, Olympic Team Gold London 2012; Olympic Individual Gold London 2012; European Team Bronze Herning 2013; European Individual Gold Grand Prix Special Herning 2013; European Individual Gold Grand Prix Freestyle Herning 2013; FEI Reem Acra World Cup Dressage Lyon 2014; Team Silver World Equestrian Games Normandy 2014; Individual Gold Grand Prix Special World Equestrian Games Normandy 2014; Individual Gold Grand Prix Freestyle World Equestrian Games Normandy 2014; Winner of the FEI Reem Acra World Cup Dressage Las Vegas 2015; European Team Silver Aachen 2015; European Individual Gold Grand Prix Special Aachen 2015; European Individual Gold Grand Prix Freestyle Aachen 2015 |
Valegro (born 5 July 2002) is a gelding ridden by the British equestrian Charlotte Dujardin in the sport of dressage. He stands and has the stable name of Blueberry. He is a double World Champion in Dressage, he won Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle at the World.[1]
Having joined Carl Hester's stable in Newent, Gloucestershire as a groom, Dujardin was offered the opportunity to develop the novice Dutch Warmblood gelding by Hester and co-owner Roly Luard, with the later intention of the horse being ridden in competition by Hester.[2]
Valegro remained unbeaten since CDI Kapellen in January 2012.[3]
The combination became part of the team which won gold in a European Dressage Championships event in Rotterdam. They then won the FEI World Cup grand prix at London Olympia in 2011, setting a world record for the Olympic grand prix special discipline scoring 88.022%, in April 2012.[4] [5] [6]
Selected to represent Great Britain in the 2012 Summer Olympics,[7] in the first round they set a new Olympic record of 83.784%.[8] On 7 August 2012 the pair were members of the team which won the gold medal in the team dressage event.[9] Two days later they won the gold in the individual dressage event with a score of 90.089%.[10] [11]
At the 2013 European Championships in Herning, Charlotte and Valegro won both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special with 85.94% and 85.69%.[12]
At Olympia 2013 he beat the Grand Prix Freestyle world record (by around 2%) he set the new record to 93.975% (the record was previously held by Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas). At Olympia 2014 he improved his own Grand Prix Freestyle world record (94.3%) and his own Grand Prix world record (87.46%).
Valegro also achieved a gold medal in the individual dressage at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with a score of 93.857%, and was an integral part of the Silver medal winning Team for Great Britain, at the same event. In 2016 Breyer released a model of Valegro.[13]
On 14 December 2016, Valegro and Charlotte Dujardin marked his retirement from competition with a performance given at the London International Horse Show 2016 and televised live by the BBC.[14] It was followed by a farewell ceremony with Valegro's owners, and companions Charlotte Dujardin, Carl Hester and Alan Davies.[15]
Valegro is sired by the legendary KWPN stallion Negro, by Olympic Ferro.
Furioso II is his great great damsire.[16]