Mount St John Freestyle

Charlotte Dujardin’s superstar Olympic ride is a girly girl with a heart of gold, finds Polly Bryan

-  Polly Bryan

RIDER CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN

“I DON’T know what it is about this mare, but she makes me cry every single time.

“She has unbelievable trainability and scope – she can put her legs wherever she wants. But she always tries so hard and when you have that feeling you can’t ask for more.

“Her natural paces actually are very normal: she has a nice walk, a good trot and a nice canter. But nothing that makes you think, ‘Wow’. But she is just so brave and willing, and that’s what makes her so special.

“Freestyle had a lot of pressure on her early on [in her career], and she would get nervous inwardly, which people couldn’t see. I kept having to give her confidence. But having this extra year [before the Olympics] has been fantastic in the sense that I have been able to train her, school her at training shows and get her out without pressure. I’ve been able to let her make mistakes and then correct her within them and she has really benefited. Now, nothing fazes her and she can go in the ring and deliver.

“I think people can see why we call her Mrs Valegro.”