CNN
—
Ben Maher and Tripple X reached the pinnacle of equestrian sport, taking the gold medal in a home Olympics back at London 2012.
So it’s no surprise the 35-year-old rates the stallion as his horse of a lifetime.
“He was bred at my place, I was the first person to put the tack on him, I was the first person to ride him, all the way through to a London Olympic gold medal,” Maher told CNN EQ.
“So I have a close bond with him in my heart, we really grew up together.”
- Source:
CNN
"
data-fave-thumbnails="{"big": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/180409102922-edwina-tops-alexander-on-california.jpg?q=x_296,y_390,h_834,w_1482,c_crop/h_540,w_960" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/180409102922-edwina-tops-alexander-on-california.jpg?q=x_296,y_390,h_834,w_1482,c_crop/h_540,w_960" } }"
data-vr-video="false"
data-show-html=""
data-byline-html="
"
data-timestamp-html="
Published
11:30 AM EDT, Fri August 17, 2018
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2018-08-13T11:23:07Z"
data-video-section="sport"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/sports/2018/08/13/edwina-tops-alexander-valkenswaard-preview-longines-global-champions-tour-gcl-cnneq-spt-intl.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="edwina tops alexander valkenswaard preview longines global champions tour gcl cnneq spt intl"
data-first-publish-slug="edwina tops alexander valkenswaard preview longines global champions tour gcl cnneq spt intl"
data-video-tags="continents and regions,equestrian events,equestrian sports,europe,global champions league,global champions tour,netherlands,sports and recreation,sports events,sports organizations and teams,western europe"
data-details="">
Valkenswaard: The Mecca of show jumping
Despite their successes, Maher admits Tripple X wasn’t always such a reliable companion.
“He is a stallion and when he was younger, he was a nightmare,” admits Maher.
“He was excited about everything else except for jumping. He gave the people in my team who work for me a very difficult life.
“He grew up all of a sudden when he was eight years old. He always competed well in the ring, he always jumped clear rounds. A very reliable horse for the right day.”