Ema Klugman retires five-star horse Bendigo
By Equestrian Life
US-based Australian eventer Ema Klugman has retired her five-star partner, Bendigo, a horse whom she’s had since she was a 15 year old at novice level.
“It was always our plan to retire Ben from Advanced-level eventing after this year,” said Ema of the 19-year-old gelding via social media.
Bendigo took Ema, 23, to her first five-star event in April this year at Kentucky, and remarkably it was also his first start at the level.
“His giving me experience at the 5* level was pure icing on the cake – the horse was only ever supposed to go preliminary. He made me the rider I am today, and in turn he has done a huge amount in helping me pass on that education to my younger horses. While it would have been amazing to go out on a high of another 5* finish at Maryland, the horse owes me nothing and he’s ready to have an easier job now.” At last month’s Maryland five-star, the pair retired on cross country as Ema felt the horse was tiring towards the end of the course.
Ema said Bendigo was “never meant to be a five-star horse”, and he was the definition of quirky. “The best way I can describe Bendigo is that he has imposter syndrome, ADHD, anxiety, stage fright, and probably several other unnamed demons that he had to overcome to become the horse he became for me. He was never ‘meant to be’ a 5* horse, or even a four- or three-star horse for that matter. He is half-Saddlebred, after all! He (and we) attempted to go beyond who he was meant to be – and he did that not for himself but for me. I won’t ever meet a horse with more generosity of spirit.
“Ben was a massive door-opener. He took me to some of the biggest events in the country. Great horses open doors, and they also connect people…. He got me noticed by Australian High Performance.”
Bendigo had 60 starts since beginning his eventing career in 2013 as a mature ten year old, 25 of which were at Advanced, four-star or five-star level. He finished in the top 10 on 43 occasions, and was phenomenal in the jumping phases with 53 clear cross country rounds and 40 clear showjumping rounds.
“[US Olympian] Karen O’Connor told me last year that my job is to make all of my horses feel the way Bendigo feels on cross country. The feeling he gave me at Kentucky is something I won’t ever forget. It will be my mission to produce horses that have that kind of keen understanding of the cross country phase… Ben made me, and in turn he is making my other horses.”
Ema has said that one of her students will lease Ben, however he’ll never leave her stables: “He is too full of idiosyncrasies and dear to me to ever leave our farm and program, so I’m very glad that I’ll still get to see his cheeky face every morning. Having him here bopping around like the badass professor he is makes my heart smile. Look out for him next year with Julie; rest assured that he will be doing all three phases a little bit too fast with a grin on his face.”
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