Rocking with Carl Hester MBE

Carl Hester MBE and his partner Ben Neal with Marc Stevenson and the rocking replica of UTHOPIA

Well, this was very special indeed!

Olympic equestrian Carl Hester is something of a legend in the dressage world. He has won multiple Olympic medals, including Gold in the 2012 London Olympics team dressage event. He has European and World Championship medals under his belt too.

We have known Carl a very long time and were thrilled when his partner, Ben Neal, visited our stand at Cheltenham to commission a rocking replica as a surprise. Of course, the horse he chose to replicate was Carl's 2012 Olympic Gold medal winning horse: UTHOPIA, pictured here at Carl's yard. Along with the famous VALEGRO.

We liaised with Ben so that the reveal and all details of the horse would be a huge surprise for Carl. Ben sent us photos of UTHOPIA so we could replicate his markings precisely and really capture his likeness. He also sent us a shoe, which we polished and mounted on the base, and some of his hair which we braided and fitted with the tail.

Carl is now the proud owner of an extra large Stevenson Brothers Oak rocking horse. We mounted this horse on coach springs to give an even more realistic ride and a wider stride. Carl, Ben and the real UTHOPIA were all delighted with this rocking horse and we were thrilled to make another iconic rocking replica. Rock on!