EcoVet Performance of the Week: Ben Maher & Explosion W Win Global Champions Tour Title

The 2018 Longines Global Champions Tour has already been decided, with Great Britain’s Ben Maher taking the championship title in Rome!

Ben Maher on Explosion W. Photo by Stefano Grasso/LGCT

Arguably, no one has had a better Longines Global Champions Tour in 2018 than Ben Maher.

He already had wins in Madrid and Ramatuelle/Saint-Tropez, plus a second place finish in Shanghai, which well earned him a place in the all-new Global Champions Playoffs to be held in Prague plus the all-new Super Grand Prix. And if there was any doubt, his nail-biter win in Rome officially clinched the Champion of Champions title — even though there’s still one tour stop left to go in Doha.

Said Maher of his mount, “Explosion W is incredibly fast, I have never ridden a horse as fast without really pushing him. What a horse. Explosion is phenomenal for his age.” The horse is only nine years old, but proved himself a star in the making with his performances this year.

Watch Maher go head-to-head in the jump-off with Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann and Cantero — you can watch the exact moments that Maher and the speedy Explosion W edge out the second-place pair:

The LGCT is one our favorite series to follow — not only because of the gorgeous locations all over the world, but because of the incredible coverage, such as these split-screen head-to-head views that allow us to really study a rider’s technique. Even though we know Maher’s already won it, we can’t wait to see how the season concludes in Doha!

Go riding.