Big Ben

My hero is Big Ben. He was born on April 20th, 1976, and was an unusually tall colt. His breeders name was Jacobus Van Hooydonk. His father was a 16 hand stallion, but his mother was only 15 hands. I chose Big Ben to be my hero because he was strong and never gave up.

Big Ben is a hero because in 1988 with Big Ben’s third owner, Ian Millar, he and Ian won the Spruce Meadows Maters Grand Prix twice! They were a perfect match because they were both very tall. Big Ben always had the courage to go in a show and win. He also had that courage when he was injured. Once he pulled something in his hoof two days before a big show. It didn’t seem to bother him, so Ian decided to risk it and go to the show, and they still won. Big Ben also had 2 really bad cases of colic, and he made it through both of them! After that he was named Canadian champion because he was the first champion to make it through 2 severe colic attacks. In 1992, Ben and 6 other horses were in a terrible highway accident. Two horses died and one could never be ridden again. Big Ben and one other horse were the only ones that could be ridden again. Two months later, he won the Grand Prix!

Big Ben made a difference in the whole world’s life because he was a great athlete, and made it through two severe cases of colic, a huge car crash and two months later won the Grand Prix! He is an inspiration to a lot of people because he would jump so high and win so many awards.

Big Ben died on December 11th, 1999 at the age of 23 from a very severe colic that he couldn’t make it through. Big Ben inspired so many people because he was strong and never gave up, and still lives on in the lives of others

Sources:

By: Kayla. “Animal Hero: Big Ben.”Myhero.com. 9 April 2009.4 March 2011 http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=BigBen.

“Big Ben (Horse).” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 5 July 2010. 4 March 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben_%28horse%29.

“Big Ben: Legendary Show Jumping Horse.” The Horse Guide.com. Informational Internet Guide to Horses. Copyright© 2007. 4 March 2011 http://www.thehorseguide.com/LegendaryHorses/BigBen.htm.

Picture Sources:

• http://content.bandzoogle.com/users/millarbrookefarm/images/content/Ben-in-Field-300.jpg?0]

• http://www.thehorseguide.com/images/BigBen.jpg

• http://www.thehorseguide.com/images/BigBen_gravesite.jpg

• http://www.horseforum.com/attachments/42959d1286580909-your-three-horses-you-believe-greatest-big-ben-j-jpg