PROFILE
Ben started riding after his mother Leslie introduced him to ponies. He was a member of the local pony club and he had a go at everything and although he literally "fell off every time", Ben was renowned for practising for days to get it right. As the ponies became bigger and Ben's ability improved it was obvious his love was showjumping. Training from Steven Smith, brother to international rider Robert, saw Ben win two pony European gold medals with his 14.2 schoolmaster Dusty Boy. Having left school at 16, Ben had a stint at the world famous yard of Ted and Liz Edgar where he served his apprenticeship. He then worked with international show jumper Beat Mandli in Switzerland which Ben describes as "the hardest work I have ever done", but the much-envied style with which Ben rides today was born from his time with Beat. "Balance and control" were the mainstays of Beat's teaching and Ben considers his time there as "further education". "I had no bills, no pressures or problems to deal with just a great bunch of horses to ride and a great mentor to help".
Having left Beat's yard, Ben found returning to England and setting up on his own very difficult, but he obtained help from a longtime friend David McPhearson and resumed training for Steven Smith. Ben went on to win both the Hickstead Derby and the Speed Derby in 2005. "Yes, we were well prepared for these competitions, but it still came as a shock to win both". Winning these competitions with his father's horses Alfredo and Mercurius catapulted Ben out of young riders and into the harder, harsher world of senior jumping at the tender age of 22.
Success at Hickstead that year resulted in Ben meeting new sponsors and new owners, most notably Mike and Emma Phillips of Quainton Stud whom he is still heavily associated with. Their horses included the world renowned Robin Hood, the now-sold Wonderboy and most recently the internationally acclaimed Tripple X.
Leaner times were part and parcel of this time, whilst Ben and all his owners sourced and produced horse power that could be successful on the international stage. Then came Rolette. "She changed my life" says Ben simply. Owned by Daniel Paul, still an owner of Ben's today, Rolette was selected for the Bejing Olympics in 2008 after having been with Ben just 10 months. "She had a fantastic brain and we could zone into each others personality instantly. My style of riding suited the way she wanted to be and that is why we did so much so quickly". Rolette went onto be sold to America for Irishman Shane Sweetman to ride
Finishing highest placed British rider in Bejing was a great achievement, but not the ending that Ben would have hoped for. "We came so close to a medal in 2008, but it was not to be, perhaps I can put that right in 2012".
