S MAGAZINE ★ 26 MAY 2019 75
Mindy Hammond
Every week in S Magazine
A local Olympic horse is about to be immortalised in bronze, and our lucky
columnist has galloped off with a limited-edition replica Illustration by Susan Hellard
SUSAN HELLARD C/O ARENA ●SH
orses, horses everywhere, and not
one to ride. Well, not for me, anyway.
Sometimes it’s better to admire the
professionalism of others than to
take part yourself, and yesterday
was one of those days.
If you are a horse fan or, more particularly,
a dressage fan, you will absolutely have heard
of rider and trainer Carl Hester. If you’ve heard
of Carl, you will have heard of dressage rider
Charlotte Dujardin, and if you know those
names, you will categorically know Valegro.
Valegro is the legendary horse Carl bought
for just £4,000. He went on to achieve the
highest-ever score in dressage with Charlotte
in the 2014 Olympics, and altogether won
three golds and one silver. He is 17 this year,
and has retired along with his stablemate and
fellow competitor Utopia. Both of them live in
luxury at Carl’s home, which is a 10-minute
drive from me.
I wasn’t just on a jolly you understand, even
though any time spent with Carl is always a
delight, and even five minutes surrounded by
the crème de la crème of the dressage world
is spellbinding. I was there because I am one
of the privileged 12.
Possibly because it’s an area where
people are quite enthusiastic about horses
(you’re lucky not to get stuck behind
a horse lorry or trailer on a country lane
most Saturdays). And because Carl
is a treasured member of the local
community, his local town, Newent, has
decided to honour their Olympian with
a statue. No, it’s not Carl in a top hat
and breeches astride his mount, but
a life-size bronze sculpture of Valegro.
Dressage horses, in case you
weren’t aware, are quite large and
bronze isn’t cheap. So, although it
was decided to commission this
incredible piece of artwork, paying
for the thing wasn’t going to be a
walk in the park. However,
somebody came up with the bright
idea of selling limited-edition
miniature versions – 12 of them,
solid bronze and absolute replicas
of the final piece.Each of the miniatures is numbered,
number one has been bought by Valegro’s
co-owner, Anne, and I have bought number
two. (Well, actually it’s my special Christmas
present from Richard – I told him after I put
in the order.) Yesterday, we both met with
Carl and the sculptor Georgie Welch for
a bit of a presentation at Carl’s yard.
Obviously, Richard was rather nervous about
me going, worried I’d fall in love with the whole
idea of a dressage career and come back
pleading with him to buy me an 18-hand diva,
but he needn’t have worried. Watching
Charlotte ride a gleaming, athlete of horse
around the indoor school as they transitioned
seamlessly through their paces was incredibly
impressive and, of course, she made it look
so easy, but I know better. It takes great skill
to achieve that level and I’m far too old and
creaky to even think of dipping a toe. Besides,
even Carl doesn’t have a mounting block high
enough to get me on one of his horses, I would
need a trampoline.
If as a little girl I had drawn my dream yard, it
would’ve looked just like the one I stoodin yesterday. Rectangular, with 18 boxes
around a courtyard planted with raised circular
beds, and over the door of every stable the
head of an immaculately groomed, happy,
friendly horse just waiting for a pat or a cuddle.
Even though you could be forgiven for thinking
somebody at the very top of their game would
run an operation with no space or time for
affection, certainly in Carl’s world this is not
the case.
I held Valegro (who actually looked straight
over me – I was nestled underneath his head)
while Carl presented me with my surprisingly
heavy statue, before we turned our attention to
the dogs, chickens, peacocks and guinea fowl
who all roam freely around his pristine property.
Carl may be a gold medallist, rider and
trainer extraordinaire, but he is ultimately an
animal lover. His dogs come from Battersea,
he rescues chickens and while I was there he
was talking to Jemima Parry-Jones, director of
the nearby International Centre for Birds of
Prey, about the progress of a barn owl which
he discovered injured and had given to Jemima
for treatment.
The local’s pride in their equine
resident is only matched by Carl
himself, who has been closely
involved in the design of his
amazing horse’s immortalisation.
Valegro clearly adores him, as do
all his horses, dogs, chickens and
any other creature lucky enough
to join them. Just before I left,
we chatted about Dink, my
lonesome peacock, and Carl
offered to hatch some guinea
fowl eggs for me to keep him
company... well, of course he did.
I drove home with my statue
very carefully bubble wrapped
on the front seat of the car,
secured by the seat belt. It’s a
beautiful thing, which now has
pride of place in our sitting room.
I can’t believe my luck every time
I look at it. I’m not sure how
many are left, but I know each will
be cherished. Richard is just relieved
we don’t need a new stable!