Olympic veteran Beezie Madden, who blazed a trail for female showjumpers worldwide in the course of her longstanding career, has been elected for induction into the USA’s Showjumping Hall of Fame. She will be honored by her peers at the Hall of Fame Gala on 6 March held in the middle of the Winter Equestrian Festival, in which Madden is also competing.
From Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Madden, 57, received her first pony as a Christmas gift at the age of four and competed at grand prix level 18 years later. Fortune followed and she was the first woman to pass the $1million mark in showjumping earnings. In 2004 she entered the history books again becoming the first woman and the first American rider to reach the top three in showjumping’s world rankings – and broke new ground once again in 2014 as the first woman to win the King George Gold Cup at Hickstead, riding Cortes ‘C’. She repeated the win in 2015 – the first woman and one of few riders to achieve back to back victories.
Madden is currently competing at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida. The philosophy she carries with her is that: “It’s a humbling sport. You can win one day and be on the ground the next day.”
Over three decades, Elizabeth ‘Beezie’ Madden has been one of the USA’s most successful riders, not least as a mainstay on four consecutive Olympic teams, winning gold in 2004 and 2008 with her KPWN gelding Authentic in addition to team silver in 2016 with Cortes C – she also won individual bronze in 2008.
Her accolades are seemingly endless and include victory with Authentic in the renowned grand prix of Aachen. Madden has won the USEF Equestrian of the Year title five times, including back-to-back honors in 2006 and 2007 – the first rider ever to do so – and then again earning back-to-back honors in 2013 and 2014.
The induction gala takes place on March 6 at The Wanderers Club in Wellington, Florida Also inducted will be Mason Phelps Jr., media executive and fundraiser, as well as last year’s class of Olympic rider Margie Engle and McLain Ward’s two-time gold medal Olympic mount, Sapphire.
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