Tina Cook

Tina Cook’s dream came true this summer when she won an individual bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics on her horse Miners Frolics.

Tina has been eventing full-time since she was sixteen.  When she was twenty she won a Land Rover scholarship to be based at Gatcombe with Captain Mark Phillips where she trained for a year.

Even having two children has not stopped her competing at the top – she carried on riding until she was four months pregnant and was straight back in the saddle after the two were born.

Tina’s family are heavily involved with horses. Her father Josh Gifford was four times Champion Jockey, her mother Althea Roger-Smith was a successful international show jumper. 

It was through the Pony Club that Tina had her first taste of serious competition, she was selected to be on the junior team and went to the Junior European Championships in Rome, where the team won the gold medal.
 
Tina has a string of successes throughout her junior and senior career, including individual Bronze and team Gold on him at the Junior European Championships in Dijon in 1988, team Silver at the Young Rider Championships at Achselschwang the following year and the National Young Rider Championship at Bramham in 1991.  After her Bramham win, Tina took both horses to her first Badminton and finished tenth after starting nearly last after the dressage.

She has been placed numerous times at Badminton and Burghley, as well as Gatcombe and Lexington. She won another team gold at the European Championships in Italy in 1995 and again at Luhmuhlen in 1999, she won Necarne and Le Lion D’Angers in 1996, and won at Burgie in 1999. In 2000, she was second at Boekelo and ninth at the European Championships in Pau, and was third in Pau in 2003.

Tina's Record
Team and Individual Gold Beijing Olympic Games, 2008
1st Gatcombe 2007 (Miners Frolic)
2nd Blenheim 2007 (Miners Frolic)
3rd Boekelo 2007 (Miners Frolic) 
22nd World Equestrian Games, Jerez de la Frontera 2002 (Captain Christy)
24th; Team Gold Junior European Championships, Pratroni del Vivaro, Italy 2002 (Song and Dance)
9th European Championships, Pau, France 2001 (Captain Christy)