THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

KRISTINA — FACT FILE

Copyright Valerie Martin 2003

These are some well-known facts about Josh Gifford's daughter, Kristina Cook the three-day eventer — and some not so well-known ones too.

DATE OF BIRTH  31st August 1970.

MARRIED  To Philip Cook

FAVOURITE EVENT  Badminton

PET HATES  Traffic jams

FAVOURITE FOOD  Chinese

FAVOURITE DRINK  Said to be Ribena

FAVOURITE NEWSPAPER  All the best people read the Daily Mail

FAVOURITE COLOUR  Blue

FAVOURITE MUSIC  70s/80s

SPONSORED by J. E. Sedgewick and Christy and Company

Kristina's main ambition was always to become a top event rider, taking part in one-day and ultimately three-day competitions.  She built up a successful partnership with her horse Song and Dance Man.

PHOTO CALL for Kristina.....

Kristina married Phil Cook, a marquee event supplier, in 2001 in St. John the Baptist Church, Findon.    Their daughter, Isabelle was born in 2005.   Two years later, twins were expected but only one survived, Harry.

Who has achieved the following during her lifetime so far?

24th; Team Gold Junior European Championships, Pratroni del Vivaro, Italy (Song & Dance Man :  Ind Bronze & Team Gold Junior European Championships Dijon, France  (Smithstown Lad)

1989:Team Silver Young Rider European Championships, Achselschwang, Germany (Smithstown Lad)

1991: 1st National Young Rider Championships, Bramham (Smithstown Lad) 12th & Team Bronze Young Rider European Championships (Smithstown Lad)

1993: 1st Bramham CCI*** (General Jock) Individual Silver European Championships, Achselschwang, Germany (Song & Dance Man)

1994: 17th & Team Gold World Equestrian Games, The Hague, Holland (General Jock)

1995: 14th & Team Gold European “Open” Championships, Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy (Midnight Blue II)

1997: Ind Bronze European “Open” Championships, Burghley (General Jock)

1999: 10th & Team Gold European Championships, Luhmuhlen, Germany (The Gangster II)

2001:9th European Championships, Pau, France (Captain Christy)

2002: 22nd World Equestrian Games, Jerez de la Frontera (Captain Christy)

Yes, Josh Gifford's daughter....Tina Cook....read the following extract from the Olympic 2008 website if you want to read a bit more.   .

"Tina Cook has been eventing full-time since she was sixteen. When she was twenty she won a Land Rover scholarship to be based at Gatcombe with Captain Mark Phillips where she trained for a year. Even having two children has not stopped her competing at the top. In both cases, she rode until she was four months pregnant and was straight back in the saddle and competing just weeks after the births.

Her father Josh Gifford was four times Champion Jockey, her mother Althea Roger-Smith was a successful international show jumper who won the Queen Elizabeth Cup, came second in the Hickstead Derby and represented Great Britain in the Nations Cup. By the time Tina was born her parents were training racehorses, and Tina’s earliest memory is of riding her mother’s old pony. Tina and her younger brother Nick, now also a racing trainer, rode throughout their childhoods and were active members of the local Crawley and Horsham Pony Club. It was through the Pony Club that Tina had her first taste of serious competition, she was selected to be on the junior team and went to the Junior European Championships in Rome on a 15.3hh thoroughbred called Song and Dance Man, where the team won the gold medal. Not long after that Tina left school and took up eventing “seriously”.
 

Tina’s next great ride was a horse bought originally for her brother to ride – Smithstown Lad. Tina won Individual Bronze and Team Gold on him at the Junior European Championships in Dijon in 1988, Team Silver at the Young Rider Championships at Achselschwang the following year and the National Young Rider Championship at Bramham in 1991. After her Bramham win, Tina came out of Young Riders the following year and took both horses to her first Badminton, weather conditions were appalling that year and Smithstown Lad had a mistake cross country, but Song and Dance Man went clear and Tina finished tenth after starting nearly last after the dressage. She was then named as the reserve for the European Championships on the same team as her one of her idols - Ginny Eliot. Unfortunately fellow team member Karen Dixon and Get Smart had an injury, so Tina made it onto the squad and took the silver.

Tina’s successes are almost too many to mention; she was on the gold medal winning team at The Hague on General Jock in 1994, has completed and been placed numerous times amongst others, at Badminton and Burghley, as well as Gatcombe and Lexington. She won another team gold at the European Championships in Italy in 1995 and again at Luhmuhlen in 1999, she won Necarne and Le Lion D’Angers in 1996, and won at Burgie in 1999. In 2000 she was second at Boekelo and ninth at the European Championships in Pau, and was third in Pau in 2003.

In 2007 Tina Cook got straight back into the saddle after the birth of her second child Harry, and came seventh and ninth at Bramham on First Flight and Miner’s Frolic. Tina and Miners Frolic then went on to win at Brightling Park and Gatcombe, second at Blenheim and third at Boekelo".

Kristina and Miners Frolic gained a Bronze for the Individual Eventing at the 2008 Olympics held in Hong Kong.   Findon gained a clear round and and Third in the World.    Findon did pretty well for a tiny village didn't.

HENRY'S STORY....Here are some photographs of Henry for you.    Henry lives in Findon...... and is seen in the country lanes.....

click on image to enlarge if you wish

I guess you are thinking to yourselves "Who on earth is Henry?"

Explanation:   Miners Frolic went to Hong Kong but was known as Henry in Findon.  Kristina had ridden him for the past six years before winning a Bronze in the Olympics with him.

She has described him as being, "Very kind, willing, sensitive and generous. He likes to be cuddled a lot, loves people and adores children. He loves companionship and affection."

Kristina is quoted as saying .. "His willing brain and his trainable personality" but he’s not always the bravest soul, he thinks the stingers or sparrows are going to eat him on a hack!"

Continue if you would like to read about Josh Gifford In Retirement.

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created exclusively for documenting life in Findon.