FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
SIDELINES JUNE 2014 43
ByEmilyRiden
L
et’s play the association game. Your words:
Ben Maher
.
Chances are that words such as “winning,” “unstoppable”
and “talented” all come tomind.
That’s because this winter, Ben Maher’s name became
synonymous with success as the English show jumper led what
many lightheartedly dubbed the “British invasion” of the Winter
EquestrianFestival. Inanunprecedentedwinningstreak,Benwas
victorious in a total of fiveGrandPrix during the 12-week circuit.
Add inavictory in the$125,000RubyetVioletteWEFChallenge
Cup duringWeek V, awin at the $50,000CSI 2* LiveOakWorld
Cup Qualifier Grand Prix and a handful of other victories, and
it’s no surprise that by the end of the season, many equestrian
journalists joked that it would bemore newsworthy to report only
whenBen
wasn’t
winning.
At age 31, Ben has an Olympic team gold medal to his name
and is currently ranked number two in the world (at press time).
With top finishes at some
of thebiggesthorseshows
around the globe, the
success is nothing new
to Ben, but as is the case
with most accomplished
riders, it hasn’t always
been that way.
FromShetlandPonies toSwitzerland
To followBen’s rise to the top, thebest place to start is the very
beginning. Rewind 20 years toEngland and you’ll findBen riding
around his family’s garden on his own Shetland Pony— a pony
purchased for himbyhisparents,whootherwisedidn’t come from
much of anequestrian background.
While they might not have had an equestrian upbringing,
they knew enough to recognize a passion and talent for riding
when they saw it, and they were quick to enroll Ben in regular
lessons. “They encouragedme and gaveme everything that was
affordable that I needed to try, and do it. They gaveme the best
start possible,” Ben said.
Withhisparents’ blessingand support, Benmovedup thepony
ranks inEngland and then advanced under the tutelage of British
OlympianStevenSmith.
“I fell off at more lessons than I stayed on, but when I was 11
or 12, I started to have some success,” Ben said. “In England,
it’s totally just jumping. We don’t have the short-stirrup or the
equitation. I never even knewall of that existed.”
Ben continued, “The way that we do it in England, it gets you
a very competitive edge early on because you are going in to
win. You learn to ride jump-offs. I was riding jump-offs and flying
around the ringwhen I was 11 years old.”
Hisexperiencesat ayoungagenot onlysparkedhiscompetitive
edge, but also a love for the sport and the desire to follow it
further. That’s why when Ben went to take the final exam of his
school career, his bags were already packed and his mind was
set ona career inhorses. No sooner was his exam turned in than
Ben was en route to Liz
and Ted Edgar’s stable in
Warwickshire, England.
“I left that afternoon. I
took a working student
type of job there for a year
and a half or two years,
and I’ve never lived at
home since,” Ben said. “I
hadagreat timewhen I worked for LizandTed. Theygavemean
unbelievable grounding and reallymore of a professional edge. It
was thefirst time that Iwas inaprofessional stableandsaw things
running ona day-to-day basis.
“I had some of my first real experiences on horses there, but
I always wanted more,” Ben said. “I really always wanted to go
abroad. I was always watching show jumping on the TV and
seeing Ludger Beerbaum, Marcus Ehning, Nick Skelton, all of
these guys, riding. I just thought that there was more out there
thanwhat was possibly on the table forme inEngland.”
“Jane (Clark) took a big riskwithme in the
beginning. Obviously, I’m not American.
That was probably a shock to a lot of
people.” –BenMaher
Ben and JaneClark’sCella
stretch over the final oxer to
win the $370,000Rolex FEI
WorldCupQualifier Grand
Prix inWellington, Florida.
Photo byEmilyRiden
