Competing at the Olympic Games is seen as the pinnacle of any sportsperson’s career, which is why many equestrian riders dream of representing their country at the Olympics. The standard and quality of opposition at the Olympics is nothing short of phenomenal, breathtaking even, as the Games pit the world’s elite against each other on the biggest stage.
Equestrian riders wanting to reach the top of their game need to be excellent all-around riders. They require determination, persistence, patience, confidence, and creativity in spades. They need to be in sync with their amazing animals and be as one as they navigate the course or put on their performances for the eagle-eyed judges. Some riders seem to have a knack for shining brightly during the Olympic Games. The following three stars are the most successful riders ever at the Olympics.
Isabell Werth
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Germany’s Isabell Werth is the most successful Olympic equestrian rider in the sport’s history. She has competed at six Olympic Games and won 12 medals, seven of which are gold. The VIP betting markets always place Werth as the favorite to win her events, and you only have to look at her incredible record in elite competitions to see why.
Barcelona 1992 was Werth’s first appearance at the Olympics; she won gold in Team Dressage. Two more gold meals followed in 1996 Atlanta (Team dressage and individual dressage). She won team dressage gold at the 2000 Sydney, 2008 Beijing, 2016 Rio, and 2020 Toyko games too! Throw into the mix silver medals in individual dressage in 1992, 2000, 2008, 2016, and 2020, and you can see what a fantastic talent Werth is.
Unfortunately, some people will remember Werth for two suspensions. The German Equestrian Federation (GEF) suspended Werth for six months in 2009 for horse doping. She admitted treating her horse, Whisper, for a condition known as Shivers. The medication is on the banned substance list. She received another six-month suspension in 2013 after a horse in her care tested positive for the drug cimetidine that is typically used for stomach disorders. Werth claimed it came from a contaminated water supply. The GEF said Werth was “a negligent breach of duty of care in the stable.”
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McLain Ward
McLain Ward is an American show jumper competition and four-time Olympic medalist. In the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Ward won the team showjumping gold medal along with Peter Wylde, Beezie Madden, and Chris Kappler. In the 2008 Olympic Games, he won the team jumping gold again riding horse Sapphire with teammates Laura Kraut, Beezie Madden, and Will Simpson. In the 2016 Summer Olympics, Ward also won the silver for team jumping for the USA.
Sapphire, McLain Ward’s most prized horse, was retired on May 14, 2012 at the Devon Horse Show. That night, Ward won the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon.
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Ben Maher
Ben Maher is a British show jumper who represented Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with horse Rolette, 2012 London Olympics with horse Triple X III, 2016 Rio Olympics with Tic Tac and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with Explosion W. He won the gold medal in the team jumping competition at the London Olympics with Team GB (their first team jumping gold medal in 60 tears). Ben Maher also won the individual gold for Great Britain at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Reiner Klimke
Reiner Klimke is a former German equestrian who won an impressive six gold medals in dressage between 1964 and 1988; he would likely have won a gold at the 1980 Games, but West Germany boycotted the Games that year.
Klimke’s first gold came at the 1964 Tokyo games; he won the medal in team dressage. Subsequent team dressage golds came in 1968, 1976, 1984, and 1988. Kilmke also won individual dressage gold in 1984 in Los Angeles.
The super-talented German veteran died of a heart attack in August 1999, aged 63-years-old. Klimke had planned to compete at the 2000 Sydney Games despite his age.
Ludger Beerbaum
Ludger Beerbaum is an internationally-renowned showjumper who the FEI has ranked number one globally on multiple occasions. Beerbum has four gold medals to his name, three coming in team jumping and one in individual jumping. Most recently, Beerbaum won bronze at the 2016 Rio games in Brazil. His gold medal in 1992 came in the individual jumping competition. Beerbaum rode Classic Touch with perfection and finished with zero penalties. His performance is seen as one of the greatest at the games.
Controversy hit Beerbaum at the 2004 games in Athens. Germany won the team gold in jumping thanks, in part, to Beerbaum steering Goldfever to a run with only four penalty points. However, Goldfever tested positive for betamethasone, a substance on the International Equestrian Federation’s banned list. Although it has no performance-enhancing effects, and the federation agreed it entered Goldfever through an ointment used to treat a skin irritation, Beerbaum was stripped of his gold medal, and Germany relegated to bronze.
