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Equestrian in the Ancient Olympics: Did you know?
Today I read Xenophon’s On Horsemanship and Hipparchus and, looking at the introduction of each book, I found interesting information about the add of equestrian to the classical Olympic Games, and I would like to share it with you. Besides, as a Greek and equestrian, I couldn’t fail to write about equestrian and the Olympics, right? 🙂 Equestrian was introduced to the Olympics in the 33rd registered Olympiad, that is about 644 BC (I say “about” because the games took place alternatively every 49 and 50 months, as a period of eight years comprises of 99 moths, which is 96 stable months plus 3 intercalary months). It remained an Olympic sport until the abolition…
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Touching videos on Valegro’s retirement
I bet the biggest news for equestrians in 2016 is Valegro’s official retirement from competition. Having won four Olympic gold medals for Britain and loads in top European and world shows with his rider, Charlotte Dujardin, the legendary gelding was decided to be withdrawn from competition at the very peak of his international dressage career. Valegro, a KWPN foaled in the Netherlands in 2002 and shipped to Britain as a three-year-old to Carl Hester’s yard, did not look very promising at the beginning, due to his small height and over-active motion, making Hester unsuccessfully pursue his sale. In the end, Valegro was proven to be a big star, as he…
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Equine world champion: Valegro
After reading about the 16,500-dollar bracelet made of hair from Valegro’s tail, as a beginner, I wanted to know who Valegro is. What a horse! Valegro -or Blueberry, which is his stable name- is a KWPN gelding foaled in 2002, with a spectacular career in dressage, under his British rider Charlotte Dujardin. In 2012, Valegro and Charlotte won two gold Olympic medals for Great Britain and the pair has remained unbeatable since that year. In 2014, the two won the Grand Prix Special and the Grand Prix Freestyle at the World Equestrian Games in 2014. In 2013, at Olympia, Valegro and Charlotte Dujardin proved on the ring that they could…