Interview with Gold Medalist Ben Maher

This post originally appeared in the Blotch section of the Fort Worth Weekly's website. To consume it there : https://www.fwweekly.com/2018/03/01/sports-rush-an-olympian-changes-horses/

Polo spent five Olympiads as an official sport, but it hasn’t participated since before World War II. Equestrian competitors in general, however, have vied for medals in every Summer Olympics since 1912.

Ben Maher has competed in show jumping in the last three Summer Games, and owns a gold medal for his part in winning the team jumping event for Great Britain in 2012 in London.

Friday, I watched him ride in a polo match. The setting was a great deal less competitive than his normal sporting pursuits: a charity contest in Wellington, Florida. Maher participated in the final chukker (equivalent to a period or quarter in polo parlance), as both sides added a guest teammate for the final period. The Olympian found himself at the event in part because he’s affiliated himself with one of polo’s most prominent families.

 The jumper’s girlfriend is Sophie Gracida (who played against her beau in that final chukker). Her cousins, professional polo players Carlos, Jr. and Mariano, spearheaded the event to honor the legacy of Carlos, Sr.

 

The young men’s father was once perhaps the world’s best player, and the whole family is filled with accomplished riders and polo players. Though Carlos, Sr. died after an in-game accident in 2014, the Gracida name still foments warm feelings within the polo community. The brothers leveraged the goodwill their father generated, along with their own friendly and unpretentious demeanors, to create Friday’s Equine Salute Invitational. They designed the event to benefit the Gracida Legacy Foundation, a charity they’ve started with the aim of helping underserved kids realize the benefits of horsemanship, and generate interest in their Gracida Wine brand, which was available at the match and subsequent tent party.

Maher and many others contributed his time to making the day a success. In the video interview that accompanies this post, he tells us what it was like playing a sport that is not his main one and how he feels watching an Olympics in which he didn’t participate, in this case the 2018 Winter Games, which were in their closing stages as he played in the polo match.

Rush Olson has spent more than two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns, television programs, and related creative projects for sports entities through Rush Olson Creative & Sports, Mint Farm Films, and FourNine Productions.


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5 Top Equestrian Events in Fort Worth This Summer

This post originally appeared on the website of the Fort Worth CVB. To read it there : http://www.fortworth.com/blog/post/2016/12/5-Top-Equestrian-Events-This-Summer-at-Will-Rogers/1267/

 

 

If you’ve ever heard of Fort Worth, Texas, you’re aware of our cowboy culture and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. You might even know they’ve held the Stock Show at the Will Rogers Memorial Center every year since 1944. But you may not realize the complex hosts events year-round. 

As you finalize your summer plans, you might want to include a trip to see some skilled equestrians and outstanding equine athletes. We checked in with David Reeves, Director of Sales for the Will Rogers Memorial Center, to help us put together a list of five attractive dates to add to your vacation calendar.

1. Ranch Sorting National Championships World Finals & All Around Ranch Rodeo Challenge
Mid-June brings a couple of events that showcase skills used by real-life ranch hands.
You’ll see remarkable horsemanship and teamwork at the Ranch Sorting National Championships World Finals June 13-18. Teams of riders sort cattle into their assigned pens with amazing precision.
They bill the All-Around Ranch Rodeo Challenge, held June 16-18, as the World's Richest Ranch Rodeo. It’s a chance for you to see teams from working ranches compete in tasks similar to those they use in their jobs as actual working cowboys and cowgirls. You can see them work with livestock at a frenetic pace in events like Wild Cow Milking, Branding, and Bronc Riding.

2. Appaloosa National Show and Youth World Championship: June 27 - July 9 
This event will showcase a beautiful and versatile breed. The Appaloosa Horse Club will award some 130 National Championship titles and another 70 youth titles. You’ll have a lot of events to choose from - whether you value subtlety or speed, you can find it at this show.
David adds: “You’ll see some inspiring competitors at the Stars & Stripes Summer Spectacular on June 28 for equestrians with disabilities.”

3. American Paint Horse Association Youth World Championship: June 28 – July 9
In addition to naming youth world champions in each event, over $300,000 in scholarships and prizes will be awarded at the World Championships to young people who show and ride the American Paint Horses they love. David also recommends the ASHA Cowtown Ranch Classic on July 7 and the ACHA Cowtown Cutting on July 8-9, which are new additions this year.
You might have noticed that both the American Paint Horse and Appaloosa shows happen at the same time. Fort Worth is lucky enough to have a facility capable of accommodating more than one big show at once. Participants from both groups will appear in the Stars & Stripes Summer Spectacular, Youth Team Tournament, Youth Judging Contest, and the Cowtown Ranch Classic and Cowtown Cutting.

4. National Cutting Horse Association Summer Cutting Spectacular: July 16 - August 6 

The final jewel of the NCHA's Triple Crown, this event will attract some of the top competitors in the sport. Amateur cutters of all ages get a chance to compete in their own contests, too.

David adds: "The Spectacular also includes the NCHA/Western Bloodstock Showdown and the NYCHA Youth World Finals."

 

5. Southwest Reined Cow Horse Rode to Reno: August 18-21
The SRCHA promotes training all breeds of horses in traditional ways. There’s a lot to see, including two NRCHA/ AQHA approved cow horse shows, a derby and futurity, and two AQHA ranch riding and reining competitions. The cowboys and cowgirls are trying to make it to the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity in Reno this September. And yep, they spell it “Rode.”

David adds: "You will not want to miss the cow work portion of the cow horse show. This is the most exciting element of the show and the basis for the nickname, ‘The Greatest Show on Dirt'."

Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns, television programs, and related creative projects for sports entities through Rush Olson Creative & Sports and FourNine Productions.


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