EMOTIONAL TIES Charlotte Dujardin on lucky breeches stable relationships and the horse that took her to the top - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Celebrity EMOTIONAL TIES Charlotte Dujardin on lucky breeches stable relationships and the horse that took her to the top By You Magazine - December 2, 2018 Dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin on lucky breeches, stable relationships and the horse that took her to the top. Gareth Iwan Jones Gareth Iwan Jones Riders used to wear a top hat for dressage but it’s not safe – there’s no protection. I’ve worn a crash hat since 2011 after I had a fall and fractured my skull [in 2009]. I was one of the first riders to compete in a helmet. Now everyone does it and it looks strange if people have top hats on. Gareth Iwan Jones I wear these Kingsland headbands all the time when I am teaching other people. They keep my ears and my head warm, and my hair out of my face. Some people collect handbags, I collect headbands. Gareth Iwan Jones My lucky breeches, which I started wearing in 2011, hold every [dressage] world record and have been to two Olympic games. I retired them when Blueberry [her horse Valegro’s stable name] retired in 2016. It was hard to keep them white. Gareth Iwan Jones Hendrick’s Gin, 35cl, £19.00, Waitrose I’m a gin girl – a friend introduced me to it on my 30th birthday and I’ve been drinking it ever since. I toasted my Olympic gold medal win in Rio with gin. Everybody knows that’s what I like, so they give it to me for birthdays and at Christmas. I have so many bottles. Gareth Iwan I have worked with [Olympic dressage champion] Carl Hester every day for 12 years. He’s my inspiration and my mentor. Before I compete, he says, ‘Good luck and have fun.’ That’s the message I try to pass on to other people. Gareth Iwan Jones The Girl on the Dancing Horse: Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, £8.99, Amazon In my autobiography I wanted to inspire people to take up the sport, but also show that it hasn’t been as easy as it looks. I didn’t come from money, so when my mum’s mother died she used her inheritance to buy me my first dressage horse. Gareth Iwan Jones I’ve been with my fiancé Dean [Golding] for 12 years. He’s the love of my life and one day I’ll marry him. I designed my engagement ring so I could ride in it – the platinum band is rounded so it doesn’t pinch when I hold the reins and the diamond is set flat. Gareth Iwan Jones Valegro has been a horse of a lifetime, who has made my dreams come true. I started riding him when he was five years old – he’s now 16. It’s like when you first see your partner and you just click. Winning double gold with him at the London 2012 Olympics was amazing. Interview by Victoria Woodhall Charlotte will compete in the freestyle dressage at Olympia, the London International Horse Show, on 17-18 December. Go to olympiahorseshow.com for tickets. RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR 50 of the best celebrity Halloween costumes of all time Shirley Ballas ‘ Strictly gave me back my hope’ Davina McCall discusses how men can help women going through the menopause Popular in Celebrity TV chef Gino D Acampo on Sardinia Sophia Loren and scary salads May 25, 2017 The Evergreen Goddess Exercise guru Diana Moran on looking fit and July 10, 2017 More more Julianne Moore November 13, 2017 Author Jill Mansell on designer notebooks commissioning art and the family January 16, 2018 EMOTIONAL TIES Kelly Hoppen on vodka vintage finds and being a April 4, 2018 ‘ I have no regrets’ Millie Mackintosh on divorce debt and reuniting May 20, 2018 EMOTIONAL TIES TV presenter and tennis player Annabel Croft shares her July 1, 2018 Stella Parton ‘ Dolly and I have always been close’ August 12, 2018 Anna Friel on getting jeered in the street shared parenting with September 23, 2018 Queen of primetime Charlotte Riley on juggling rising stardom with pregnancy October 21, 2018 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved