Big Ben Canadian Show Jumper

One of Canada’s greatest show jumpers, Big Ben was a 17.3 hand liver chestnut Belgian warmblood, originally named Winston. Born in 1976 in Belgium, Ian Millar bought him in 1983 and brought him to Canada. In a career spanning more than a decade, Big Ben captured two back-to-back World Cup titles (1988-1999), two Pan-American Gold Medals, and about 40 Grand Prix wins earning more than $1.5 million in prize money. He and Millar represented Canada in three Olympic Games. In 1996, Ben and Millar were inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, sharing that honor with only one other horse - Northern Dancer, the great racehorse and stallion. Although Olympic and World Championship medals eluded Ben, it didn’t diminish his popularity. Millar once noted, "As his success grew, Ben captured the public’s imagination. They seemed to associate him with an underdog who made good." At his retirement, Sandi Patterson, his groom since 1983, recalled, " He gave so much, and I’ll never forget the mornings before a big event, when he sensed it was a big day.” Patterson, who was as much a part of his success as Millar, had slept beside him during his earlier colic surgery recoveries (1990 and 1991), and she was with him when he survived a terrible van accident in 1992. Big Ben was officially retired from the show ring in 1994, when he was 18. He died in December 1999 at the age of 23. The world of Grand Prix show jumping will forever remember this great horse!

Article courtesy of Breyer horses

Date Retired by Breyer: January 1, 2005

Achievements 

• Won over $1.5 million in prize money
• First horse to win 2 consecutive World Cup Final titles 1988 Gothenburg and 1989 Tampa, Florida
• Team and Individual Gold medals at the 1987 Pan Am Games, Indianapolis
• Member of the 4th place Team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles
• 2nd World Cup Final's in 1986 Gothenburg
• 5th World Cup Final's in 1987 Paris
• Member of the 4th place Team at the Show Jumping World Championships, Aachen
• Winner of Masters Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows in 1987 and 1991
• Member of the 4th place Team at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul
• Winner of Grand Prix of Stuttgart 1989
• Winner of Grand Prix of Bordeaux 1989
• Canadian National Show Jumping Champion 1988, 1991 and 1993
• Won the Spruce Meadows Derby 6 times in eight years (the Chrysler Classic in '86,'87 and '89 and the Shell Cup in '91,'92 and '93)
• One of only two horses inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.