As soon as Carl Hester won his team bronze medal in the Olympic dressage at Paris 2024, talk inevitably turned to his retirement. This was the 57-year-old’s seventh Olympic Games, and his fourth medal in the past four renewals. He described his freestyle on Fame in Versailles as “possibly the best I’ve ever done”. Their score of 85.16% was indeed, just a fraction below his best ever freestyle mark. Would this be his final flourish?
But as far as officially announcing his retirement, as some news outlets have claimed, this is still in the balance. Don’t forget, we had the same situation after Rio – when it was mooted that both Carl and Valegro would retire. Eight years on, the man is still here, and “on a real high”.
What he said in Paris neither confirmed nor denied his plans for the future. Directly after the freestyle, a reporter said to him: “If this is going to be your swansong, what a way to go out.”
Carl responded: “Exactly, why should I retire after that? I’m not sure I could repeat that. That’s the problem.”
Reporter said: “So it would be a high if you did go out?
Carl replied: “Well, there’s two ways of looking at it. Either I’m getting better because today was my best day. Or I should stop there and not watch the downfall.”
It was an ambiguous response made with the adrenaline still flowing. He added that John Whitaker – who was in the running for Paris selection at the age of 69 – is an inspiration.
However, it is clear that he will take stock after what has been the most turbulent fortnight of his career, with the highs of winning an Olympic medal following the low of the release of the Charlotte Dujardin video. The pressure has been monumental, and with Britain’s recent success on top of Charlotte’s suspension, it has been intensified.
“It’s been a difficult time and it wasn’t until we went up the middle that I suddenly took a deep breath and thought, ‘I’m here, enjoy it, you never know if it’s going to be your last’,” he said after the grand prix.
“A lot of people felt that if Charlotte [Dujardin] wasn’t on the team then we wouldn’t be successful as she has contributed so much,” said Carl, “so it was important for us to show we could.
“But this feeling that you have, for days on end before you compete, I can tell you is not easy to live with. Most mornings at 3am you’re lying there with your eyes wide open thinking about if it’s going to be OK. Luckily for riders, once you’re on the horse, all that pressure disappears, but it’s the 23 hours of not riding in between that you’re left to think about everything.
“Every Olympics does get tougher because of expectations so the first, 32 years ago, was definitely the best,” he added.
He hinted about life after competing, but again he has done so many times before.
“I would not be getting out of the sport, I would just train more and teach more,” he said. “I love training and riding. I love training people. That’s my passion.”
Perhaps most poignantly, the song he chose – Those Were The Days – for his last centre line in Versailles does have an element of finality to it.
“Those were the days, my friendWe thought they’d never endWe’d sing and dance forever and a dayWe’d live the life we chooseWe’d fight and never loseThose were the days, oh yes, those were the days.”
Carl should be afforded the space and time to make this decision on his terms. For whatever follows, he has revolutionised the face of dressage in Britain. Whether as a rider or trainer, long may it continue.
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