Kristina Cook

Kristina "Tina" Cook (née Gifford, born 31 August 1970), is a British three-day eventing rider. She is the 2009 European Champion and a three-time Olympic medallist, winning individual and team bronze medals in 2008 and team silver in 2012. She has also won two World team golds (1994, 2010) and four European team golds (1995, 1999, 2009, 2017).

Kristina Cook
Tina Cook and Miners Frolic competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Personal information
Nationality Great Britain
DisciplineEventing
BornFindon, West Sussex, England
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Equestrian
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2012 LondonTeam eventing
Bronze medal – third place2008 BeijingIndividual eventing
Bronze medal – third place2008 BeijingTeam eventing
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1994 The HagueTeam eventing
Gold medal – first place2010 KentuckyTeam eventing
Silver medal – second place2014 NormandyTeam eventing
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1995 Pratoni del VivaroTeam eventing
Gold medal – first place1999 LuhmuhlenTeam eventing
Gold medal – first place2009 FontainebleauIndividual eventing
Gold medal – first place2009 FontainebleauTeam eventing
Gold medal – first place2017 StrzegomTeam eventing
Silver medal – second place1993 AchselschwangIndividual eventing
Silver medal – second place2019 LuhmühlenTeam eventing
Bronze medal – third place1997 BurghleyIndividual eventing

Biography

Cook was born Kristina Gifford in Rustington and is the daughter of the four times British jump racing Champion Jockey, Josh Gifford.[1] Riding Miners Frolic, she won bronze medals in both the individual and team eventing at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[2] Cook only made the Olympic Eventing team, after the withdrawals of Zara Phillips and Lucy Wiegersma. She became double European Eventing champion in 2009 on Miners Frolic in both the Individual and Team competitions at the championships at Fontainebleau in France.

Her achievements prior to the 2008 Olympics included winning individual silver medal at the European championships on Song and Dance Man in 1993, gold medals at the 1994 World Equestrian Games in The Hague and the 1995 and 1999 European Championships.[3]

Cook won silver in the team eventing at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[4]She was then picked for the team in the 2014 World Equestrian Games with her homebred horse De Novo News. This was the horse's first championship in which they helped to win team silver.

Cook is also patron for the Worthing-based charity, Guild Care.[5]

CCI 5* Results

Results
EventKentuckyBadmintonLuhmühlenBurghleyPauAdelaide
200212th (Captain Christy)
200312th (Captain Christy)
200438th (Captain Christy)9th (Captain Christy)
2005RET (Captain Christy)12th (Captain Christy)RET (Headwind)
2006-08Did not participate
20096th (Miners Frolic)
2010EL (Miners Frolic)
2011WD (Miners Frolic)
2012Did not participate
201318th (Miners Frolic)

61st (De Novo News)

9th (De Novo News)
201426th (De Novo News)
2015EL (De Novo News)8th (Star Witness)
20167th (Star Witness)10th (Star Witness)9th (Billy The Red)16th (Calvino II)
201710th (Billy The Red)35th (Calvino II)7th (Star Witness)17th (Calvino II)
2018WD (Billy The Red)

WD (Star Witness)

11th (Star Witness)
20197th (Billy The Red)

RET (Star Witness)

EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

International Championship results

Results
YearEventHorsePlacingNotes
2002World Equestrian GamesCaptain Christy22ndIndividual
2003European ChampionshipsCaptain Christy37thIndividual
2008Olympic GamesMiners Frolic Team
Individual
2009European ChampionshipsMiners Frolic Team
Individual
2010World Equestrian GamesMiners Frolic Team
29thIndividual
2012Olympic GamesMiners Frolic Team
6thIndividual
2013European ChampionshipsMiners Frolic6thTeam
13thIndividual
2014World Young Horse ChampionshipsBilly The Red24thCCI**
2014World Equestrian GamesDe Novo News Team
15thIndividual
2017European ChampionshipsBilly The Red Team
4thIndividual
2018World Equestrian GamesBilly The Red9thIndividual
2019European ChampionshipsBilly The Red Team
43rdIndividual
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

Notable Horses

Kristina Cook and Billy the Red (2019 European Championships)
  • Captain Christy – 1992 Bay Irish Sport Horse Gelding (Cavalier Royale x Imperious)
    • 2002 World Equestrian Games – Individual 22nd Place
    • 2003 European Championships – Individual 37th Place
  • Miners Frolic – 1998 Dark Bay Gelding (Miners Lamp)
    • 2008 Beijing Olympics – Team Bronze Medal, Individual Bronze Medal
    • 2009 European Championships – Team Gold Medal, Individual Gold Medal
    • 2010 World Equestrian Games – Team Gold Medal, Individual 29th Place
    • 2012 London Olympics – Team Silver Medal, Individual Sixth Place
    • 2013 European Championships – Team Sixth Place, Individual 13th Place
  • De Novo News – 2003 Bay Thoroughbred Stallion (Last News)
    • 2014 World Equestrian Games – Team Silver Medal, Individual 15th Place
  • Billy The Red – 2007 Chestnut Baden-Wurttemberger Gelding (Lilith x Stan the Man XX)
    • 2017 European Championships – Team Gold Medal, Individual Fourth Place

References

https://web.archive.org/web/20130508081528/http://www.guildcare.org/About-Guild-Care