A ceremony to celebrate the horse's retirement is due to held during the London International Horse show at Olympia on December 17.

"Alf has given me and my family so much joy over the years, especially on the four occasions that we've competed together at Olympia, and in my eyes he's more than earned his retirement," said Tomlinson, who owns the 18-year-old gelding alongside parents Wilfried and Ursula.

The duo has proved to be a formidable partnership on the dressage circuit, helping define modern British dressage since breaking onto the international stage in 2005.

At the 2005 International Federation for Equestrian Sports' (FEI) European Championships for Junior and Young Riders in Barzago, Italy, Tomlinson and Alf were part of the British outfit that took home the team silver, as well as collecting an individual bronze medal for themselves.

Tomlinson rode Mistral Højris as part of the Great Britain team that took Olympic gold medals in the team event at London 2012 ©Getty Images



The pair transitioned into senior competition throughout the next couple of years and earned a place on the British team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Here, Bechtolsheimer, Tomlinson's maiden name before her marriage to professional polo player Mark Tomlinson, was awarded British Dressage's Ride of the Year after finishing 18th in the Grand Prix Special and helping Britain to a sixth place finish in the team event.

The pair's most notable achievements include team silver and individual bronze at the 2009 FEI European Championships in Windsor, England; three silver medals at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, America, as well as team gold and individual bronze at the 2011 FEI European Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Tomlinson and Alf were also part of the team that won gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games last year; a Games which also saw the duo win bronze in the individual event.

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