| Michael Whitaker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Michael Whitaker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  Great Britain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Show jumping | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 17 March 1960 Huddersfield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5.7 ft 0 in (1.74 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 152 lb (69 kg; 10 st 12 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Michael Whitaker (born 17 March 1960) is a British Olympic equestrian rider, who competes in the sport of show jumping. He was ranked 5th by the British Showjumping Association in March 2014.
Younger brother of John Whitaker, Michael began competing on ponies at the age of 5. At the age of 16, he made his debut in international competitions and in 1980 he became the second youngest winner of the Hickstead Derby, at the age of 20. In September 1993 he took over from his brother John as the internationally top-ranked show jumping rider.[ citation needed ]
In 2009 Whitaker was banned from competition for four months after his stallion Tackeray tested positive for a synthetic hormone altrenogest during a competition in France. [1] [2] Altrenogest is a female hormone that Whitaker claimed was present in the sample due to a mix up in feed buckets. [3] Whitaker was found to be negligent for the positive test. [4]
Born and raised on his parents' farm in Yorkshire. He and his three brothers were taught to ride by their mother Enid, a keen horsewoman. Michael began riding aged three on a Shetland pony named Hercules.
In December 1980, Whitaker married Belgian show jumper Veronique. They separated in 1997, and later divorced. [5]
He married his second wife on 13 August 2013. They live in Whatton, Nottinghamshire with their children. [6] Their son Jack is also a show jumper. [7] His niece Ellen and nephews Robert and William are also show jumpers. [8]
Marius Silver Jubilee, better known as Milton, was a successful showjumping horse ridden by John Whitaker. He was a grey gelding and stood 16.2 hands high at the withers.
John Whitaker MBE is a British equestrian and Olympian who competes in show jumping. He has won numerous international medals including an olympic silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. He is the managing director of John Whitaker International Limited which produces tack and equestrian clothing.
Ellen Whitaker is an English show jumping rider, currently ranked 191 on the FEI riders Longines Ranking list in July 2022.
Ludger Beerbaum is an internationally successful German equestrian who competes in show jumping and has been ranked the No. 1 Show Jumper in the world by the FEI on multiple occasions. He is also a four-time Olympic Gold medalist team and individual.
The FEI European Show Jumping Championships is the European Championship for the equestrian discipline of show jumping. First held in 1957 in Rotterdam, and on an annual basis, it is held every two years, in the years between Olympic Games and World Equestrian Games.
Equestrian Canada, formerly known as Equine Canada and commonly known by its acronym, EC, is Canada’s comprehensive national governing body for equestrian sport. It is the executive branch of Canada's Olympic and Paralympic equestrian teams; the national association and registry of Canadian equestrian athletes; the national regulatory body for equestrian coaches, competition organizers, and judges; and the national federation of Canadian horse breeders and Canadian breed registries.
Paul Schockemöhle is a German former showjumper. He was a successful international show jumping equestrian in the 1970s and 1980s at individual and team events in Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships. He was three times European Champion on his best horse Deister. He is the brother of Alwin Schockemöhle, another leading German rider.
Eric Lamaze is a Canadian showjumper and Olympic champion. He won individual gold and team silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, riding Hickstead. Lamaze has won three Olympic medals, as well as four Pan American Games medals and one World Equestrian Games bronze. He is considered one of Canada's best showjumpers. He is currently banned from participating in equestrian activities until 2027.
Tony Andre Hansen is a Norwegian show jumper and musician.
Benjamin Richard Maher MBE is a British show jumper. He represented Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2009 European Championships in Windsor, 2012 London Olympics, 2016 Rio Olympics, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. He won the team jumping gold at the London Olympics with Team GB, their first team jumping gold medal for 60 years, an individual gold for Great Britain at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and team jumping gold again at the 2024 Paris Summer Games. That win tied him with three-day eventer Richard Meade and dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin as the most successful British Olympic equestrians in gold medals won.
Timothy Mark Stockdale was an English equestrian who competed in the sport of show jumping.
Nicola Wilson is a British equestrian rider specialising in three-day eventing. Riding Opposition Buzz, she won a team gold at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games and team silver at the 2012 Olympic Games. She is also a seven-time medallist at the European Championships, including team golds in 2009, 2017 and 2021 and individual gold and bronze in 2021 and 2017, respectively.
Jessica Mendoza is one of the UK's top female equestrian athletes, who broke into the world's top 100 riders, and into the top 10 British showjumping riders in Spring 2015. She is also a regular contributor to the British monthly magazine PONY.
Bertram Allen is an Irish show jumping rider. Originally from Wexford, he has won international medals at the pony, junior, and senior level. He won the opening round of the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy at age 19, receiving international recognition. Allen is the youngest winner of a Grand Prix on the Longines Global Champions Tour, and was a team gold medalist at the 2017 European Championship in Gothenburg.
Lucy Davis is an American show jumping competitor and 2016 Olympian.
Martin Fuchs is a Swiss Olympic show jumping rider. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he finished sixth in the team and ninth in the individual competition. In 2019 he won the individual gold at the 2019 European Championship in Rotterdam. As of 31 May 2022, he is ranked as the World Number 1 showjumper by the FEI.
Jean-Maurice Bonneau was a French equestrian and coach.
Joseph Stockdale is a British show jumper.
Jack Whitaker is a British equestrian who competes as a show jumper.
Shutterfly was a Hanoverian gelding ridden in competition by Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum. Considered the "ultimate jumping horse", Shutterfly won medals at several World and European Championships, placing first in the World Cup final three times. With lifetime winnings of €3,520,864, he was the most successful show jumper of the 2000s and one of the highest earning show jumpers of all time.
