Valegro :-)

[Supertrooper]

10. Valegro is hacked out by Tricia Gardiner, a member of Britain’s dressage team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, who is now aged 77. “Mentally she still thinks she’s a teenager but obviously physically this isn’t the case — she finds it hard to walk and get on a horse now,” says Charlotte. “She literally drags Blueberry (as he is known at home) to the highest mounting block she can find and makes him stand in a position which is good for her to climb on from, faffs around a bit and drags herself up — you would honestly look at him and think he was a bog-standard, happy hacker. He then goes up the road with her, eating his way through any hedge he can find — she really needs some grass reins to keep him on the straight and narrow! It’s hilarious to watch. You then put him in the arena and he becomes this out and out performer”.

LOVE this

 

[meesha]

Brilliant !!!

 

[AmyMay]

Wonderful.

 

[SaffronWelshDragon]

Real LOL moment at the hedge and grass rein comment 😀

 

[DJ]

I simply adore this horse ... a true 1 in a million billion <3

 

[LeannePip]

i read this yesterday and it was just lovely to read - then today a picture came up on my newsfeed of him out in the field

He is honestly a national treasure!

 

[madmav]

Where is that news snippet from? Absolutely love it. Valegro is such a superstar. So talented, yet such a calm nature. You can see that as soon as Charlotte finishes a test, she chucks the reins at him and he walks out of the arena as if he were on a gentle hack. They are both such treasures,

 

[Supertrooper]

Got it off Horse&Hound website xx

 

[chocolategirl]

I simply adore this horse ... a true 1 in a million billion <3

Ditto this! I really don't think there will ever be another like him. Can't believe I had the privilege of meeting him and getting to stroke him in his stable. The loveliest boy ever!

 

[kirstyl]

Having seen a Trish Gardiner demo, she's no walkover even if she is 77!

 

[NZJenny]

I think that this is not only a refelction of the horse himself, but the way the horse has been trained and managed. He is allowed to be Just A Horse. Not many in his line of work (nor any top horse) get that chance.

 

[NinjaPony]

The very fact he is hacked and turned out at all means he has a far more varied life than most competition horses and clearly it pays off!

 

[Cragrat]

^^^totally agree. With less down to earth management, I think he would have been a much more tense, volatile horse.

 

[Lintel]

The very fact he is hacked and turned out at all means he has a far more varied life than most competition horses and clearly it pays off!

Couldn't agree more! Though his own nature is so placid I certain agree this would help alot of pent up horses

 

[Princess Rosie]

What a lovely post, he's an absolute gem. x