Showjumping champion Big Ben was laid to rest on Dec. 11,1999, after suffering a final, fatal bout of colic. The towering Belgian warmblood gelding was 23 and had been retired from competition since 1994. His legendary partnership with Ian Millar was one of the most successful in showjumping’s history. In addition to two back-to-back World Cup titles, two Pan Am Games gold medals, three Olympic appearances for Canada, and more than 50 Grand Prix wins, Big Ben earned more than $1.5 million during his 11-year career.

Millar acquired Big Ben in Belgium in 1983, and the horse demonstrated his promise almost immediately, posting a fourth-place finish at the Los Angeles Olympics at the tender age of eight. Although Millar withstood some criticism for campaigning a horse that young at that level, “Benny” proved his toughness by going on to compete for another decade, a remarkable feat of longevity in a sport where horses often stay at the top only a few years.

When Big Ben retired in 1994, he embarked on a nationwide farewell tour, which took him from Alberta’s Spruce Meadows to Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair. In 1996, he was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, only the second horse to be given that honor (the first was Thoroughbred champion Northern Dancer), and in 1999 he was one of four Canadian horses to be depicted on a stamp.

The liver chestnut gelding, who stood 17.3 hands, survived two colic surgeries only 11 months apart. He suffered from chronic digestive upsets throughout his life. According to John Atack, DVM, who acted as Big Ben’s veterinarian since 1983, the root of Big Ben’s colic episodes was that it was very difficult to get the horse to drink enough water. Both on the road and at home, he was reluctant to take in fluids, and so always was at risk of impaction.

The impaction colic that ended Big Ben’s life began at about 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10. Atack, Millar, and Ben’s devoted groom Sandi Patterson decided it was better not to put him through surgery again at his age. The great horse was euthanized to spare him further suffering