Top 80 Charlotte Dujardin Quotes

So many horses get stage fright when they enter the arena, and that’s it – the performance is over.

Moms being moms, they’re very supportive, and they’re always talking very highly of you.

My ultimate dream was to get to the Olympics. I never thought I would come away with two gold medals.

I owe my mum Jane a lot, as she’s supported me all the way, so I’m very lucky.

Getting to the top is one thing, but staying there is quite another. That’s the difficult bit.

This will be Valegro’s retirement after Rio, so I want to go out there and want to enjoy every last minute.

My parents don’t have a lot of money, and it was only when my mum’s mum died that we could buy Fernandez, my first grand prix horse.

For most athletes, there’s a focus on your own fitness, but I have to rely on my horse, too. I’ve been very lucky so far, and it hasn’t presented a problem, but you can never count on a competition going as planned until you’re there and actually doing it.

Riding Valegro always makes you smile, so I enjoy it.

To be one of the first British females to get three gold medals, to join Laura Trott in doing that, is a huge privilege.

If I never competed again, it wouldn’t bother me. I don’t care.

I literally got a private invite for lunch with the Queen. There was just 10 of us. And I was absolutely petrified because you can’t take anyone with you, and no other sportspeople were there. There was the head of the military, and then the Queen sat next to me.

We all get so excited about the big events, but when there’s an animal involved, it’s ten times harder.

You need to believe in yourself.

If I never competed again, it wouldn’t bother me. I don’t care.

I’m really lucky that I can control my nerves; it doesn’t seem to get to me.

The sport is about finding the horses. But to find another Valegro is impossible.

I love producing horses, and we have some great young horses at home. We’ll look forward and train those and start again.

I literally worked from the bottom up to where I am now.

It’s insane to have won all those things – not possible. But what I love is learning, which never stops and is nothing to do with the medals you’ve won.

As much as you may be sitting in the top five or the top 10, sometimes you just don’t get that chance to get to the top.

I’ve had so many letters from people saying I’ve inspired them to take up riding, and that’s an amazing feeling.

Riding Valegro always makes you smile, so I enjoy it.

We all get so excited about the big events, but when there’s an animal involved, it’s ten times harder.

I have come from a background where I haven’t had lots of money to put me on the map. I’ve had to work very hard for what I’ve got.

The sport is about finding the horses. But to find another Valegro is impossible.

I got asked to do loads of TV series, all sorts of things that weren’t me.

My family didn’t have lots of money or anything.

It’s going to be a rule, I think, for wearing a crash hat, and I actually fractured my skull through not wearing a hat. I was so lucky to escape from that, and now, it’s something I always do.

I have come from a background where I haven’t had lots of money to put me on the map. I’ve had to work very hard for what I’ve got.

At an event in Germany, I realised the organisers had ‘The Great Escape’ playing as background music to my test, and I just thought, ‘It’s really cool. I want that.’ It is fantastic to ride to.

It is very rare that he makes a mistake, and I feel just privileged to have done what I have with him. There will never be another Valegro.

You can’t do the same thing every day with the horse. Because they then know the thing inside out, and they’re leading you, not the other way round. You don’t want them to take over. You have to be able to ride the movements and set the movements up; you don’t want them starting before you are ready.

I literally did it through hard work and dedication. People out there who think you have to have loads of money to do this sport… it just shows you.

For me, I wouldn’t mind if I never did another Olympics; nothing can beat London. The setting, the support, the military people. From start to finish, it was such fun. I had the most amazing time.

I was frightened. I hadn’t really had any experience, and then all of a sudden I was thrown straight into doing interviews. Most people have build-up. I had none.

Moms being moms, they’re very supportive, and they’re always talking very highly of you.

I’m really, really excited heading towards Rio.

When you’re doing well and you’re successful, part of being successful is that you get interviewed. But it ruins the moment.

I’ve been riding Valegro since he was four or five years old.

I think I thrive under pressure.

London was my first Olympics. It was my dream to get there, and I literally had the time of my life.

Winning HOYS set me up for the future and prepared me for riding in front of lots of people, but the real highlight was the London 2012 Olympics. Being able to go out in front of thousands of people, on your home ground, representing your country and winning gold medals is something I’ll never be able to beat.

As much as you may be sitting in the top five or the top 10, sometimes you just don’t get that chance to get to the top.

I started as a working pupil in a yard, mucking out and doing all the duties… and I just never gave up on my dream.

This will be Valegro’s retirement after Rio, so I want to go out there and want to enjoy every last minute.

My first ambition was to be a show jumper. I did a bit of dressage as part of it, and the dressage trainer saw me and said, ‘Why are you wasting your time with the other stuff? You should be concentrating on this.’

It’s going to be a rule, I think, for wearing a crash hat, and I actually fractured my skull through not wearing a hat. I was so lucky to escape from that, and now, it’s something I always do.

I’ve done more than I ever dreamed of.

I literally got a private invite for lunch with the Queen. There was just 10 of us. And I was absolutely petrified because you can’t take anyone with you, and no other sportspeople were there. There was the head of the military, and then the Queen sat next to me.

It’s tough, but I have to remember that this is my passion and what I love, and that’s how I keep the nerves from kicking in.

It is probably like an artist. They see in their head what they want to draw, and they draw it. It is like I have a feeling inside me that I want to create on a horse, and that is what I do.

I was frightened. I hadn’t really had any experience, and then all of a sudden I was thrown straight into doing interviews. Most people have build-up. I had none.

You can’t do the same thing every day with the horse. Because they then know the thing inside out, and they’re leading you, not the other way round. You don’t want them to take over. You have to be able to ride the movements and set the movements up; you don’t want them starting before you are ready.

It isn’t called dressage any more – it is called ‘dancing horses.’

I turned the Gloucester Christmas lights on and our local Newent lights on, so everyone recognises me now. It is a completely different life for me.

Every horse I get on I can adapt to. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle.

I’ve had dreams – there were three things I wanted to do during my career. I did them during my first year of Grand Prix.

I can’t help but smile when I ride Valegro; I think something, and he does it. I laugh, and I think, ‘God, how does he know? I didn’t even ask. I just thought it.’

It’s always nice for the judges and the audiences to have something a bit different so they don’t always see and hear the same thing.

I’ve had dreams – there were three things I wanted to do during my career. I did them during my first year of Grand Prix.

I have walked into several pubs, and guys in there have said to me, ‘My God, you are the girl off the dancing horse.’ They have got no idea about dressage, and they said, ‘I can’t work out whether you make the horse do that or the horse does it itself – we just couldn’t tell – but it brought tears to our eyes.’

People tell me I’m their idol and a huge inspiration – that’s really surreal.

I’m quite happy with the way my life is.

Valegro just loves his job. I don’t have to force him to do anything, I just sit there and steer, and off I go. There’s no sweating, no pushing, no pulling. He knows his job, and it’s just fantastic.

When I used to say I did dressage, I got blank looks. No one had a clue what I was on about.

My mum used to ride, and when she was mucking out, I always wanted to sit on a horse. And if she took me off, I’d scream my head off.

I have walked into several pubs, and guys in there have said to me, ‘My God, you are the girl off the dancing horse.’ They have got no idea about dressage, and they said, ‘I can’t work out whether you make the horse do that or the horse does it itself – we just couldn’t tell – but it brought tears to our eyes.’