Top riders about 76 years of CHIO: Ben Maher

Ben Maher has competed at the Olympic Summer Games no fewer than five times. At the 2012 edition in his home country, he won team gold with the British showjumping squad. At the Tokyo Games in 2021, he added individual gold. Last year in Paris, the British team—with Ben once again in the lineup—won yet another team gold medal. Ben is the father of a three-year-old son and an almost one-year-old daughter. As a young rider, he trained among others with Beat Mändli.

Not great with dates and numbers

Ben says, almost apologetically: “As a young rider I wasn’t very successful. I’m 42 now, and I must have been in my late twenties when I rode in Rotterdam for the first time. After that I came back regularly—seven or eight times, I think.”
Again, he smiles: “Sorry, I’m not very good with dates and numbers. When I think of Rotterdam, I think of riding through the forest from the stables to the main arena—so beautiful. And I also think of the pancake house, which we sadly have to miss since last year.”

Best memory and worst nightmare

“My best memory and my biggest nightmare from Rotterdam lie very close together—they both come from the 2019 European Championships. As a team we finished third, and individually I was second with Explosion. That second place was the nightmare. I was the last to go and needed to jump clear to win gold. I remember it exactly: at the second-to-last fence, an upright, I had a rail. I felt absolutely sick afterwards.”

“I wasn’t in Rotterdam this year because of Global Champions Tour commitments. Which do I prefer? The Global for the money—but purely for the show, Rotterdam, 100%. I think Rotterdam is a fantastic event. You have a wonderful location, always dynamic sport, and the horses are super happy in the forest. And there’s a team class—I love riding for the team. When you have the right combination of riders, everyone having a good day and doing what’s expected, that’s the best feeling there is.”

Dutch shows are his favorites

“I love coming to the Netherlands. When I was young, I competed everywhere—from Zuidlaren to Eindhoven. That period really was a stepping stone for me. It also spoiled me a bit, because Dutch shows are the best you can find. I can’t think of a single poorly organized event in your country. Germany and France also have good shows, but the Dutch ones are perfect.”
“Horses have always been my everything, my whole life revolved around them. But since having children, I really make time for them too—they are everything to me. As we speak, they’re in the US with my wife. I travel to the Netherlands regularly to look at potential new horses.”

Longines League of Nations™

“Back to Rotterdam and the Longines League of Nations™. I’m not sure the concept is perfect yet. The locations and the timing in the calendar should really be reconsidered. The FEI still has work to do if they want this to be their flagship series. Rotterdam is an excellent location and timing, but not all selections are.”

Would love to be younger again

“About myself—(laughing) I’m very happy with what I have, but I’d love to be younger again. When I was young, I dreamed of the life I have now, but as an athlete you’re never fully satisfied. Now that I have the experience and the team around me, there are things I would do differently. I’ve won a lot, but I’ve also been second many, many times—and I always want to win.”
“Finally, I want to say that we riders always look forward to coming back to Rotterdam, and I hope the fans and visitors enjoy the event just as much as we do. Rotterdam is special, and we couldn’t do it without you.”

Ben Maher: immense achievements, yet humble and ever ambitious. Thank you for the conversation and your wonderful words about our event. We hope to welcome you again next year in the Kralingse Bos.
And Explosion—enjoy your well-earned retirement!