Beezie Madden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Beezie Madden

Madden on the medals stand in 2008.
Personal information
Birth name	Elizabeth Patton
Full name	Elizabeth Madden
Nickname(s)	Beezie
Born	November 20, 1963 (1963-11-20) (age 61) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Residence	Cazenovia, New York
Spouse(s)	John Madden
Medal record Equestrian Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Team jumping Gold 2008 Beijing Team jumping Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team jumping Bronze 2008 Beijing Individual jumping World Championships Silver 2006 Aachen Individual jumping Silver 2006 Aachen Team jumping Bronze 2014 Normandy Individual jumping Bronze 2014 Normandy Team jumping Pan American Games Gold 2003 Santo Domingo Team jumping Gold 2011 Guadalajara Team jumping Silver 2011 Guadalajara Individual jumping Bronze 2019 Lima Individual jumping Bronze 2019 Lima Team jumping

Elizabeth Madden (born November 20, 1963), known as Beezie Madden, is a famous American horse rider. She competes in show jumping, a sport where riders guide horses over obstacles. Beezie is an Olympic champion with many medals. She has won two gold and one silver medal at the Olympics in team jumping. She also has an individual bronze medal.

Beezie has won the Show Jumping World Cup twice. She also earned two silver and two bronze medals at World Championships. At the Pan American Games, she won two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. She was the first American rider to be ranked among the top three show jumpers in the world. Beezie was also the first woman to win over a million dollars in show jumping prize money.

She competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics, winning team gold for the United States. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she won team gold and an individual bronze. She also competed in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she won team silver. Beezie and her husband, John Madden, own a horse training and sales business called John Madden Sales in Cazenovia, New York.

Early Life and Riding

Beezie Madden was born Elizabeth Patton in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her parents, Kathleen and Joseph Patton, were involved in training and selling horses. They even built their own stable. As a child, Beezie rode at the Milwaukee Hunt Club. This is where her parents kept the horses they trained.

She started riding horses when she was just three years old. For Christmas, around age four or five, she received her first pony. She named her pony Flicka. Her brother, Stuart, also rode and received a pony named Fudge that same year. They often rode their ponies without saddles, using only bridles.

Beezie began competing in horse shows when she was about six. For most of her younger years, she rode in "hunter" competitions. In her last two junior years, she competed in "equitation" and then "jumpers." Her best finish in equitation was eighth place at the Medal Final, a national competition.

She attended Southern Seminary Junior College. There, she rode for the school's team. She also played basketball and softball. In 1984, she won the Cacchione Cup. This is a top award at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association's national competition. Beezie graduated as the top student in her class. She was accepted into the University of Virginia. However, she decided to work at Katie Monahan's farm instead.

Career Highlights

Beezie Madden worked and lived at Katie Monahan's farm for four years. While there, she met her future husband, John Madden. He was also working for Monahan at the time.

In 1985, at age 22, Beezie began riding in "grand prix" events. This is the highest level of show jumping. Her first international competition was in 1987. She represented the United States at the World Cup in Paris. In 1988, John and Beezie bought a farm in Cazenovia, New York. They got married in November 1998. In 2002, she competed in her first World Equestrian Games in Spain.

Olympic Success

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Beezie won a gold medal. She was part of the United States team in team jumping. Her teammates were Peter Wylde, McLain Ward, and Chris Kappler. That same year, Beezie became the first woman to earn over $1 million in show jumping.

At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Beezie won another team gold medal. Her teammates were Laura Kraut, Will Simpson, and McLain Ward. She also won a bronze medal in the individual show jumping competition.

Madden riding Authentic (left) at the 2008 Olympic Games ceremony

In 2012, Beezie competed in the 2012 London Summer Olympics. She rode her horse, Coral Reef Via Volo, for the United States team. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Beezie won a team silver medal. At 52 years old, she was the oldest female athlete on the U.S. Olympic team in Rio.

World Cup Wins and Other Achievements

In 2013, Beezie was ranked the 4th best rider in the world. She was also the number one woman rider. She won the Show Jumping World Cup in Sweden with her horse, Simon. She also won many other important competitions that year.

In 2014, riding her horse Cortes 'C', Beezie made history. She was the first woman to win the King George Gold Cup at Hickstead. She won it again in 2015, becoming the first woman to win it twice in a row. In May 2014, Beezie broke her collarbone during a competition. She had surgery and took a six-week break. Soon after, she competed at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games. She won team and individual bronze medals with Cortes 'C'. Her horse was even voted the Best Horse of the Games.

By 2014, Beezie was second in all-time prize money winnings at Spruce Meadows. She also won the USEF Equestrian of the Year award for the fourth time. In 2015, she finished as the top U.S. rider at the FEI Jumping World Cup Final.

In April 2018, Beezie won the Longines FEI World Cup again. She rode her horse Breitling LS. At 54 years old, she became the oldest athlete to win the World Cup. In 2019, Beezie competed at the Pan American Games in Lima, winning two bronze medals.

In February 2020, Beezie announced that she would semi-retire after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She plans to focus more on training horses and other riders.

Famous Horses

Some of Beezie Madden's most well-known horses include Authentic, Cortes C, and Judgement. As of 2016, Beezie regularly competed with seven horses. Most of these horses are owned by her longtime sponsor, Abigail Wexner.

International Championship Results

Results
Year	Event	Horse	Placing	Notes
1987	World Cup Final	Medrano	18th
2002	World Equestrian Games	Judgement	6th	Team
			29th	Individual
2003	World Cup Final	Judgement	30th
2003	Pan American Games	Conquest II		Team
			33rd	Individual
2004	Olympic Games	Authentic		Team
			28th	Individual
2006	World Cup Final	Judgement	13th
2006	World Equestrian Games	Authentic		Team
				Individual
2007	World Cup Final	Authentic	39th
2008	Olympic Games	Authentic		Team
				Individual
2009	World Cup Final	Danny Boy	12th
2011	World Cup Final	Coral Reef Via Volo / Danny Boy	4th
2011	Pan American Games	Coral Reef Via Volo		Team
				Individual
2012	World Cup Final	Cortes 'C'	17th
2012	Olympic Games	Coral Reef Via Volo	6th	Team
			EL	Individual
2013	World Cup Final	Simon
2014	World Cup Final	Simon	7th
2014	World Equestrian Games	Cortes 'C'		Team
				Individual
2015	World Cup Final	Simon	4th
2016	Olympic Games	Cortes 'C'		Team
			46th	Individual
2018	World Cup Final	Breitling LS
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

See also

In Spanish: Elizabeth Madden para niños