{{Short description|British world champion dressage horse (2002–2025)}} {{Use British English|date=January 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox named horse |horsename= Valegro |image=200px |caption= With Charlotte Dujardin at the 2012 Olympics |breed= Dutch Warmblood |sire= '''Negro''' |grandsire= Ferro |dam= Maifleur |damsire= Gershwin |sex= Gelding |foaled= {{birth date|2002|7|5|df=y}} |death_date= {{death date and age|2025|12|1|2002|7|5|df=y}} |country= Netherlands |colour= Dark Bay |breeder= |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 |earnings= |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{{Citation needed|date=December 2025}} |awards= |honours= |updated= }}
{{MedalTop}} {{MedalSport | Equestrian}} {{MedalGold | 2012 London | Team dressage}} {{MedalGold | 2012 London | Individual dressage}} {{MedalGold | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Individual dressage}} {{MedalSilver | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Team dressage}} {{MedalBottom}}
'''Valegro''' (5 July 2002 – 1 December 2025) was a gelding ridden by the British equestrian Charlotte Dujardin in the sport of dressage. He stood {{hands|16.2}} and had the stable name of '''Blueberry'''. He was a double World Champion in Dressage, he won Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle at the World.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.carlhester.co.uk/Home/CarlsHorses/tabid/60/Default.aspx |title=Carl Hester.co.uk Carl's Horses |access-date=21 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100921112559/http://www.carlhester.co.uk/Home/CarlsHorses/tabid/60/Default.aspx |archive-date=21 September 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Career== 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.<ref name=Indp8025974>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/other-events/equestrian-unlikely-winner-charlotte-dujardin-celebrates-double-gold-8025974.html|title=Equestrian: 'Unlikely winner' Charlotte Dujardin celebrates double gold|work=The Independent|date=9 August 2012|access-date=9 August 2012}}</ref>
Valegro remained unbeaten since CDI Kapellen in January 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishdressage.co.uk/results/competition_details/43363|title=British Dressage|website=www.britishdressage.co.uk|access-date=19 September 2013|archive-date=22 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722155834/https://www.britishdressage.co.uk/results/competition_details/43363|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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.<ref name="fei">{{cite news|title=Charlotte Dujardin triumphs in FEI World Cup grand prix|date=14 December 2011 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/equestrian/16184026.stm|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=7 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="2012gb">{{cite news|title=London 2012: Charlotte Dujardin breaks dressage world record|date=29 April 2012 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/17886842|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=7 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="val">{{cite web|title=Dujardin and Valegro take 2012CDA Hagen Grand Prix for special by storm|url=http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2012/04/27/dujardin-and-valegro-take-2012-cdi-hagen-grand-prix-special-storm|publisher=www.eurodressage.com|access-date=7 July 2012|archive-date=1 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701222838/http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2012/04/27/dujardin-and-valegro-take-2012-cdi-hagen-grand-prix-special-storm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Selected to represent Great Britain in the 2012 Summer Olympics,<ref>{{cite web|title=London 2012: Dressage riders Bechtolsheimer and Dujardin selected for Team GB|url=http://www.sportsister.com/2012/06/27/london-2012-dressage-riders-bechtolsheimer-and-dujardin-selected-for-team-gb/|publisher=www.sportsister.com|access-date=7 July 2012}}</ref> in the first round they set a new Olympic record of 83.784%.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/aug/03/london-2012-charlotte-dujardin-dressage?newsfeed=true "London 2012: Charlotte Dujardin breaks Olympic dressage record"]. ''The Guardian''</ref> On 7 August 2012 the pair were members of the team which won the gold medal in the team dressage event.<ref name=2012gold>{{cite news|title=Olympics equestrian: 20 gold medals for GB with dressage win|date=7 August 2012 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/18902771|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=7 August 2012}}</ref> Two days later they won the gold in the individual dressage event with a score of 90.089%.<ref name="2nd2012">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/18913470 | title=Olympics equestrian: Charlotte Dujardin wins second dressage gold | publisher=BBC Sport | date=9 August 2012 | access-date=9 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/london-olympics-2012/news/London-Olympics-Dujardin-wins-individual-dressage-gold/articleshow/15423350.cms|title=London Olympics: Dujardin wins individual dressage gold|website=The Times of India |access-date=9 August 2012}}</ref>
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%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishdressage.co.uk/results/horse_record/29960|title=British Dressage|website=www.britishdressage.co.uk}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
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%).{{citation needed|date=December 2025}}
Valegro also achieved a gold medal in the individual dressage at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics 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.<ref>[http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/valegro-breyer-model-on-sale-olympia-519147 Buy Valegro at Olympia Horse Show <!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Retirement== 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.<ref>[http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/dressage/olympia-television-times-valegro-retirement-605630 Horse & Hound, 30 November 2016]</ref> It was followed by a farewell ceremony with Valegro's owners, and companions Charlotte Dujardin, Carl Hester and Alan Davies.<ref>Carl Hester Does The Double As Valegro Retires In Style, 15 December 2016 He died on 1 December 2025, euthanized due to health issues. [https://www.olympiahorseshow.com/carl-hester-double-valegro-retires-style]</ref>
==Death== Valegro died on 1 December 2025, at the age of 23.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Carl Hester's final farewell to dressage superstars Valegro and Uthopia|url=https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/dressage/heartbroken-farewell-valegro-uthopia-911697|website=Horse & Hound|date=1 December 2025|access-date=1 December 2025|language=en}}</ref> The death was announced alongside that of Uthopia.<ref name=":0" /> Both died by euthanasia.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Valegro">[https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/tag/valegro Valegro]</ref>
==Breeding== Valegro was sired by the legendary KWPN stallion Negro, by Olympic Ferro.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1 December 2025 |title=Vale Valegro and Uthopia, dressage icons |url=https://www.equestrianlife.com.au/vale-valegro-and-uthopia-dressage-icons/ |access-date=2 December 2025 |website=Equestrian Life |language=en-AU |quote=Partnered with Charlotte Dujardin, Valegro (Negro x Olympic Ferro) claimed double gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics [...]}}</ref>
Furioso II is his great great damsire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/valegro|title=Valegro Kwpn|first=Miles|last=Michelson|website=www.allbreedpedigree.com}}</ref>
==See also== * List of historical horses
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDKWnCNpmQA Valegro in action, 2016] (video)
Category:2002 animal births Category:2025 animal deaths Category:Dressage horses Category:Animal world record holders Category:Horses in the Olympics Category:Individual warmbloods Category:Animal deaths by euthanasia