To be one of the first British females to get three gold medals, to join Laura Trott in doing that, is a huge privilege.
— Charlotte Dujardin
It's going to be hard to ever have a horse to replace Valegro. He is a professor. I think he read the dressage book and learnt it all before he ever did it.
I'm really lucky that I can control my nerves; it doesn't seem to get to me.
My family didn't have lots of money or anything.
I've been riding Valegro since he was four or five years old.
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's been an absolute rollercoaster. The things I've done, I didn't even dream of doing or achieving.
I never set goals.
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.
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.
That's why success hasn't changed me: because I don't want to be famous or do TV or be a model or be recognised in a shop. I'm not interested. There's nothing worse.
If I never competed again, it wouldn't bother me. I don't care.
I've done more than I ever dreamed of.
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.
I'm really, really excited heading towards Rio.
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 get called 'the girl off the dancing horse.' I just laugh; I think it's really funny. It's true, isn't it? It's great we're getting that recognition.
I can honestly say I had the time of my life in London. I don't regret one part of it, and I have never wanted the moment to end.
I owe my mum Jane a lot, as she's supported me all the way, so I'm very lucky.
I never think of who's in the competition. I never let myself get in that frame of mind, worrying about who I'm against.
My ultimate dream was to get to the Olympics. I never thought I would come away with two gold medals.
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.
All you can do is to do your best.
Moms being moms, they're very supportive, and they're always talking very highly of you.
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.
Every competition I do, I never know if it's the last one.
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 love having horses from a young age and seeing how far they can go.
Getting to the top is one thing, but staying there is quite another. That's the difficult bit.
I think we're actually the only sport that has a mix of men and women competing together. The majority of other sports are separated by gender.
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.
This will be Valegro's retirement after Rio, so I want to go out there and want to enjoy every last minute.
I think I thrive under pressure.
I'm quite happy with the way my life is.
There is Rio in 2016, but it won't be the same as going to London and hearing 24,000 people - nearly all British - cheering, stamping their feet, and screaming your name.
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.'
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.
London 2012 was just fantastic.
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.
I love producing horses, and we have some great young horses at home. We'll look forward and train those and start again.
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 think it's really strange for somebody that's probably never been in the public eye. All of a sudden I was 'big time' - boom, it all just happened.
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.'
When I used to say I did dressage, I got blank looks. No one had a clue what I was on about.
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.
I've had so many letters from people saying I've inspired them to take up riding, and that's an amazing feeling.
We all get so excited about the big events, but when there's an animal involved, it's ten times harder.
Riding Valegro always makes you smile, so I enjoy it.
London was my first Olympics. It was my dream to get there, and I literally had the time of my life.
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.
