Rafael Soto could always be counted on to charm the international audience with his charismatic Grand Prix freestyles aboard the impressive Andalusian stallion Invasor. Now, after three Olympic Games and three World Equestrian Games, the 17-year-old is officially retiring, according to www.eurodressage.com.

Invasor anchored the Spanish team for more than a decade. He was the youngest horse competing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics at 7 years old. Soto is the head trainer of the Spanish Riding School in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, and Invasor is owned by the Real Escuela de Jerez.

A licensed breeding stallion, Invasor was retired at the National Breed Championships of the Pure Spanish Horse in Seville, Spain, in November and will enjoy the rest of his life at the stud farm in Jerez.