
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (born 26 December 1969) is an American-born
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
equestrian who competes at the international level in
show jumping.
Career
She grew up riding ponies and had a successful career as a Young Rider, both in
equitation
Equitation is the art or practice of horse riding or horsemanship.
More specifically, equitation may refer to a rider's position while mounted, and encompasses a rider's ability to ride correctly and with effective aids. In horse show competitio ...
and in
show jumping. As a young-adult, Michaels-Beerbaum studied political science at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...
, continuing to compete during her college years.
She then went to train in Germany with
Paul Schockemöhle in 1991, planning to remain only for a summer, which eventually turned into a permanent stay. She decided to buy the training center in
Balve
Balve is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in ''Hönnetal'', a narrow valley created by the river Hönne, which is near the Sorpe Dam, formerly part of Balve, and at the north end of the S ...
.
Personal life
She was born in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, and is the daughter of film director
Richard Michaels and actor
Kristina Hansen.
Following her marriage to the well-known German show jumper
Markus Beerbaum in 1998, she changed her citizenship.
Together the Beerbaums have one daughter, Brianne Victoria Beerbaum, born in 2010. Through her marriage, Michaels-Beerbaum is also sister-in-law to
Ludger Beerbaum
Ludger Beerbaum (, ; born 26 August 1963 in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia) 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 occasio ...
, who has won multiple Olympic and championship medals in show jumping.
Horses
Current
* Unbelievable (born 2001),
Dutch Warmblood
A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland (Royal Warmblood Studbook of the Netherlands (KWPN), which governs the breeding of competitive dressage and show jumping horses ...
, Dark bay gelding, sired by Manhattan, damsire Democraat
* Fibonacci (born 2005),
Swedish Warmblood, Grey gelding, sired by For Feeling, damsire Corland
* Atlanta (born 2005),
Dutch Warmblood
A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland (Royal Warmblood Studbook of the Netherlands (KWPN), which governs the breeding of competitive dressage and show jumping horses ...
, Chestnut mare, sired by For Pleasure, damsire Achill-Libero H
* Comanche (born 2006),
Oldenburg, Grey gelding, sired by Coupe de Coeur, damsire Baloubet du Rouet
Previous
* Bella Donna (born 2003),
Holsteiner horse
The Holsteiner is a breed of horse originating in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany. It is thought to be the oldest of warmblood breeds, tracing back to the 13th century. Though the population is not large, Holsteiners are a do ...
, Dark bay mare, sired by Baldini II, damsire Calido I
* Quick Star (1982–2011),
Selle Français
The Selle Français (SF) is a breed of sport horse from France. It is renowned primarily for its success in show jumping, but many have also been successful in dressage and eventing. An athletic horse with good gaits, it is usually bay ...
, Dark bay stallion, sired by Galoubet A, damsire Stella v. Nithard
* Shutterfly (born 1993),
Hanoverian horse
A Hanoverian (German: ''Hannoveraner'') is a Warmblood horse breed originating in Germany, which is often seen in the Olympic Games and other competitive English riding styles, and has won gold medals in all three equestrian Olympic compe ...
, Darkbay gelding, sired by Silvio I, damsire Forrest xx
* Kismet (Benedicte) (born 2001),
Belgian Warmblood
The Belgian Warmblood or is a Belgian breed of warmblood sport horse. It is bred for dressage, for show-jumping and for three-day eventing. It is one of three Belgian warmblood breeds or stud-books, the others being the Zangersheide and the ...
, Liver chestnut mare, sired by Kannan, damsire Furioso II
* Stella (born 1989), Dark bay mare, sired by Quick Star, damsire Wilson
* Le Mans (born 1995), Chestnut gelding, sired by Leubus, damsire Landadel
* Malou (born 2004), Grey mare, sired by Maloubet de Pleville, damsire Carthago
* Cantano (born 2000),
Holsteiner horse
The Holsteiner is a breed of horse originating in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany. It is thought to be the oldest of warmblood breeds, tracing back to the 13th century. Though the population is not large, Holsteiners are a do ...
, Bay stallion, sired by Cascavelle, damsire Acor
* Checkmate (born 1995),
Hanoverian
The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe:
* British monarchs or supporters of the House of Hanover, the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901
* things relating to;
** Electorate of Hanover
** Kingdom of Hanover
** Province o ...
, Darkbay gelding, sired by Contender, damsire Pik Bube II
Achievements
* Gold medal team member, 9th individually, at the 1999 European Championships in Hickstead, England (Stella)
* 5th place at the 2006 World Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur (Checkmate 4)
* Gold medal winner of the 2005 World Cup Final in Las Vegas, NV (Shutterfly)
* Silver medal at the 2004 World Cup Final in Milan, Italy (Shutterfly)
*Nations Cup starts:27 Wins:8
* Ladies German Championships Gold Medal in 1999 and 2001, Silver medal in 2002, Bronze medal in 1998, 4th place in 2004
* German Championships Bronze Medal in 2004, 5th place in 2002
*German Championship Winner in 2008 at
Balve Optimum
The Balve Optimum is a tournament between horse riders ( CSI/CDI) in Balve. It is placed at Balve Wocklum, the home of Dieter von Landsberg-Velen. The aligner are the ''Turniergemeinschaft Balve GmbH'' with its managing director Rosalie von Landsb ...
and 2010 at "Turnier der Sieger" in Münster
*First woman to win the World Cup Finals three times (2005, 2008, 2009)
*Ranked #1 in the Rolex World Rankings for 11 consecutive months in 2008 (February–December).
*Bronze medal in Team Jumping event at the
2016 Summer Olympics (Fibonacci) in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...
See also
*
List of Princeton University Olympians
This is a list of Princeton University alumni who competed in the Olympic Games. In this list, the term athletics refers to track and field.
Summer Olympians
#Robert Garrett, class of 1897, men's athletics, 1896 Athens Olympics, 1900 Paris Oly ...
References
FEI Rider's Biography*http://www.michaels-beerbaum.de/20-Biographie.htm
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michaels-Beerbaum, Meredith
1969 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Los Angeles
German show jumping riders
German female equestrians
American female equestrians
American expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Olympic equestrians for Germany
Equestrians at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Equestrians at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Equestrians at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Olympic bronze medalists for Germany
Olympic medalists in equestrian
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics