Breed and Sport News > Big Ben Memorial Sculpture

For the Love of a Horse:
Big Ben Sculpture to be Unveiled on Sunday May 22, 2005

Perth, ON -- In celebration of the life and legendary achievements of Hall of Fame inductee Big Ben, Ian and Lynn Millar along with the Perth and District Chamber of Commerce invite the public to the Millar Brooke Farm Open House on Sunday May 22, 2005 — home of Ian Millar. The farm is the final resting place of the legendary Big Ben.

Many activities are planned for the day, including an RCMP Musical Ride and a chance to meet Ian Miller, Sandi Patterson (Big Ben’s groom), and Olympic rider Gina Smith.The grand finale will be the unveiling of the Big Ben Memorial sculpture in downtown Perth at 5 pm, Sunday May 22, 2005.

Arguably one of the greatest partnerships in equestrian sport, Big Ben and Ian Millar won the hearts of fans worldwide through their many victories and triumphs both in and out of the show ring. Together they overcame many challenges and were a heart-warming and encouraging life-story for all. Ben and Millar won more than 40 Grand Prixs including two back to back World Cup titles and two du Muarier Internationals at Spruce Meadows, the number one show jumping venue in the world.

There is a $5 admission fee to Millar Brooke Farms Open House. The statue unveiling will take place in downtown Perth and there is no admission fee. For more information or to order tickets, go to www.bigben.ca.

About the Sculptor: The Big Ben monument is by sculptor Stewart Smith who has been working on the project since the summer 2004. Smiths states “the most exciting part of this project has been the enthusiasm and support expressed by the equestrian community. The love for Big Ben continues unabated and this has made the project downright fun.”

Big Ben and Millar Career Highlights

Big Ben was a Belgian Warmblood who stood 17.3 hands high and won in excess of
$1.5 million dollars. He was by the stallion Etretat, and out of the dam Oekie.
- Winner of two World Cup Finals.
- Big Ben was the only horse to win the world’s richest grand prix twice: the du Maurier Ltd. Intercontinental Grand Prix (now the CNN International) in 1987 and 1991, Spruce Meadows Masters, Calgary, Alberta
- Competed on the Canadian Olympic Team a record-setting three times
- Won two Pan American gold medals in 1987 — team and individual
- More than 40 grand prix victories
- Represented Canada on more than 30 Nations’ Cup teams
- A member of seven winning Nations’ Cup Teams
- Won 17 competitions and over $ 650, 000.00 at Spruce Meadows, Calgary AB
- Won the Derby at Spruce Meadows six times in eight years
- Survived colic surgery twice and returned to win amongst world class competition.

Career Highlights By Date

1983: Purchased through Emile Hendrix (Holland), Big Ben was trained in Europe by a Dutch rider called Bert Romp. When Big Ben first came to Canada, he was originally co-owned by Eve Mainwaring of Brockville, Ontario and Ian Millar of Perth, Ont.
1984: Demonstrating exceptional talent, Big Ben went from a small jumper class to preliminary, intermediate, open and then grand prix in one season. (Normally this process would occur over several years)
1984: Los Angeles Olympics, fourth-place Canadian Team
1986: Ian Millar awarded the Order of Canada; Millar the first Canadian rider to ever be ranked number one in North America.
— Second, World Cup final Goteborg Sweden
— Millar, leading international rider at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. (At that time, he was the first Canadian to win the award in more than twenty years.)
1987: Won the $ 250, 000.00 1987 du Maurier International
1987: Individual and Team Gold medalists at the Pan-American games 1987 Indianapolis US. Ian Millar ranked first in the world in show-jumping by l’Annee Hippique
1988: Participated in the Seoul Olympics in 1988, and then won the World Cup Finals in Goteborg, Sweden
1989: First in the World Cup in Tampa, Florida
— Big Ben the first horse (and Big Ben and Ian Millar first horse rider combination) to win two consecutive World Cup Finals back-to-back.
— And Big Ben and Ian Millar the first horse-and-rider combination to win all three phases of the World Cup
— Ranked first in the world in show jumping by l’Annee Hippique again.
1990: Ian Millar suffers a head injury with concussion that prevented him competing in the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Big Ben suffers two bouts of life-threatening colic.
1991: Ian Millar and Big Ben win the CN International (formerly the du Maurier)
1992: Big Ben involved in a highway accident, en route to Alberta from Ontario.
1994: Big Ben Retirement Tour
1999: Big Ben passed away
2005: Sunday May 22, Big Ben Sculpture to be unveiled.