2012 Olympic and 2013 Europenan dressage champion Valegro has been proclaimed KWPN Horse of the Year 2013 at the 2014 KWPN Stallion Licensing in 's Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands on Friday 7 February 2014.
"It was no surprise that the title was awarded to the unbeaten champion of 2013," a KWPN press officer stated. "The bay gelding epitomizes the descriptive phrase “happy athlete.” Wherever he competes, he is the audience favorite with his extremely expressive and balanced movement. With so many loyal fans, Valegro even has his own Facebook page, which is immensely popular."
Valegro is by Negro out of a Gershwin dam and is bred by Joop and Maartje Hanse, who were proclaimed WBFSH Dressage Horse Breeders of the Year 2013. The dark bay gelding, owned by Carl Hester and Roly Luard, is the world’s current number one dressage horse.
Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro attended the Horse of the Year award ceremony in Den Bosch and showed themselves in a demonstration in front of a sell out crowd.
The last time a dressage horse was named KWPN Horse of the Year was in 2011 when Adelinde Cornelissen's Parzival was bestowed with the title. In 2010 Totilas earned it.
Photo © LL-foto
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