Banjamin Castaldi, ambassador for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy :
Benjamin Castaldi is a television presenter and producer. He started out in the 1990s alongside Michel Drucker as a cinema reporter on Studio Gabriel on France 2.
In 2001, he became the first person in France to present a reality television show, Loft Story (an adaptation of Big Brother), broadcast on the channel M6. Following on from this, he presented various reality television shows, such as Secret Story (another Big Brother spin-off) and A la recherche de la nouvelle star (based on Pop Idol).
Benjamin Castaldi also came up with a successful hidden camera show, whose concept was sold in 17 countries: Mes parents vont t’adorer.
“Benji” started horse riding at a young age. Until the age of 13, he rode at French show jumper Alexandra Ledermann’s family yard, no less! However, he was forced to give up the sport as he could not afford a horse on which he could compete at a higher level.
He eventually got back in the saddle when he met his wife Vanessa, who had been a rider for 25 years, and even began competing in show jumping competitions. At his first show, in Barbizon, he met the Bost family and struck up a friendship with Roger-Yves (Bosty), and is now his greatest fan!
He loves: stroking Noxen, his horse
He hates: to grease the hooves 🙂