Wednesday 14 December - 17h21 | Johanna Zilberstein Seven Dates that Built the Legend of Valegro This evening, Valegro will say his goodbyes to competition on the course of the Olympia in London. Over the past five years, the gelding and his rider, Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin, have become legends in the world of dressage after snapping up every title in existence, even beating their own world record. A look back at the seven dates which forged the legend of Valegro. Credit : Scoopdyga 14/12/2011Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro have been on the international circuit for nine months. After their debut at the CDI 3* in Vidauban, France in March 2011, the pair breaks through the symbolic bar of 80% in the Grand Prix at the London CDI-W. A first exploit of what would be many more to come on the Olympia course. 09/08/2012After dominating the dressage circuit during a short but efficient season, the duo wins their first Olympic title, a gold medal in front of their home crowd at the London Olympic Games in 2012 (pictured here at left). After the Grand Prix Freestyle, they leave the rectangle with a stellar average of 90.089%. Credit : Scoopdyga 17/12/2013Already Olympic and European champions — a title they had won in Herning, Denmark — Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro pulverize the world record in the Grand Prix Freestyle. With a final score of 93.975% during the CDI-W of London, the duo puts an end to the reign of Edward Gal and Totilas, who had held the previous top mark of 92.300%.27 et 29/08/2014It is the title that they were missing. In the Grand Prix Special (86.120%) and then Grand Prix Freestyle (92.161%), the British rider and son of Negro take home the two individual gold medals up for grabs in Caen, France (at right). Once again, their supremacy is complete. One month earlier, though, the black gelding had been beaten by Totilas, now ridden by Germany’s Mathias Alexander Rath, in the rectangle at Aix-la-Chapelle in the Grand Prix Special before coming back in full force in the Grand Prix Freestyle. 17/12/2014One year to the day after their first world record, Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro do it again. Once again at home in London, the two partners beat their own world record in the Grand Prix Freestyle. Their score of 94.300% remains unbroken today. 15/08/2015For the first time, the supremacy of the combination seems to be in doubt. As expected, Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro pocket the two gold medals with 87.577% in the Grand Prix Special and 89.054% in the Grand Prix Freestyle at the European Championships in Aix-la-Chapelle. But the German pair of Kristina Bröring and Desperados give them a scare. 15/08/2016After being absent for almost the whole season — competing just once during the Hartpury CDI 3* in June — Valegro comes back in top form for the Olympic Games in Rio (left). For his final Grand Prix Freestyle (the rumours of his retirement having been confirmed by his owner Carl Hester) the now-legendary gelding takes the Olympic title with an average of 93.857%.