He may not have been competing there, but Valegro was certainly kept busy at the Royal Windsor Horse Show last week (8-12 May). As well as meeting The Queen, he was also introduced to equine social media royalty in the form of Instagram sensation Teddy the Shetland.
The three-year-old miniature Shetland, who boasts more than 120,000 online followers, was invited to meet Valegro at Windsor and the adorable duo spent 45 minutes getting to know one another.
“They were so sweet — they got on so well and really seemed to love each other,” said Teddy’s owner, Alice Goring, an advanced eventer and H&H’s amateur rider of the year in 2017.
“Alan [Davies] brought Valegro to meet us as Charlotte was busy riding other horses, and Alan loved Teddy — he has Shetlands himself. Teddy and Valegro are both like humans in horses’ bodies and they have a similar personality — Valegro’s very sweet and cuddly too. They seemed to be very chilled in each other’s company, and were sharing bites of grass.”
Charlotte said: “Valegro said he wouldn’t come to Windsor unless he also got to meet Teddy the Shetland. New friends for life we think.”
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Teddy has previously visited Badminton Horse Trials, Olympia and the Global Champions Tour, among others, as part of his work as a mascot and therapy pony, but meeting the world’s most famous dressage horse was a definite highlight.
“Teddy has such a cool life — if only he realised how many people would die to be in his position!” laughed Alice, who works full-time as a research scientist. “Next up on his schedule is the Chelsea Flower Show.
“The meeting with Valegro took place quite early in the morning so I was still at my desk by 9am that day. It was hard to believe it had actually happened!
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