On her Instagram account, Hough writes: 

“While all of us in the equestrian world are being forced to slow down, it has given me a lot of time to reflect on how lucky I am to work with these amazing animals. I have been so privileged to have crossed paths with one very special guy named Waterford aka “Walter”! Walter is going to retire from the sport as he is 17 now and he owes me nothing. He is very sound and in good health. It was always my plan to retire him this year, and I‘ve decided with this long break, now is the perfect time!

Thank you to his amazing owners, Laura and Meredith Mateo, for trusting me to use my best judgement to always do whatever was right for Walter. Walter will live out his retirement years at Samantha Will’s beautiful farm in Lexington, KY.

Many thanks to all who have been a part of Walter’s journey!”

f. LGCT/S. Grasso