Alan Davies
WHEN Carl Hester asked Alan Davies to accompany him and Charlotte Dujardin to the south of France as a stand-in groom for two upcoming grand prix dressage horses in early 2011, Alan could hardly have imagined what the next decade would have in store – for all of them. Because, of course, those horses were none other than Uthopia and Valegro, whose journey and achievements would go on to become the stuff of dressage legend.
“My life completely changed because of Valegro,” says Alan, as he sips tea in the tack room at Carl’s delightful Gloucestershire yard, the superstar in question contentedly munching hay around the corner as he enters his sixth year of blissful retirement.
“He is still a massive part of all our lives; he and I travelled about 75,000 miles around the world together, just the two of us, and built such a bond.”
Alan was at the side of Charlotte and Valegro throughout their glittering career and there are two definitive moments for Alan that stand out among the
