Ben Maher’s horses arrive safely in Rio after 23hr wait on plane

Showjumper Ben Maher‘s horses Tripple X III and Aristo Z have arrived safely in Rio after an unscheduled lay over in Dakar, in Senegal, at the weekend (30 September) while travelling to Brazil.

The horses were en route to Rio de Janiero to compete for more than €1m in the OI Athina Onassis Horse Show.

But the horses were stuck on the tarmac for around 23 hours at Dakar airport while the plane on which they were travelling awaited parts from Frankfurt. As the horses didn’t have the correct paperwork they were not allowed off the plane while it waited.

“There was a fault with the aircraft, I’m not entirely sure what, but it was eventually sorted,” Ben, who is travelling out to Brazil tomorrow (Tuesday 2 October) told H&H. “It wasn’t an ideal situation but they are all fine. They’ve all been checked by the vets and are in Rio, healthy and ready to compete.”

The show, which runs from 4-6 October, clashes with Horse of the Year Show, where fellow gold medalists Scott Brash and Peter Charles will be riding. Nick Skelton will also be riding in Brazil.

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