Gail Greenough


Gail E. Greenough, was a member of the Canadian Equestrian Team for show jumping.

Life

Gail Greenough was born on March 7, 1960, in Edmonton, Alberta. When she was 11 years old, Greenough started learning equestrian skills. In 1983, she joined the Canadian Equestrian Team. She had gained some experience competing at a few World Cups.

Career

When she competed with Mr. T, they competed for 5 days where they produced many clean rounds. In the final, however, Greenough had to ride 3 of 4 rounds riding her competitors' horses. She rode cleanly and managed to incur no penalty points, thus taking the title and the $23,000 prize for first place. On July 13, 1986, Greenough won the 1986 World Show Jumping Championships in Aachen, West Germany, riding a Hanoverian horse named Mr T. She was the first woman, the first North American, and the youngest person to win this championship, and she was the first rider to do so with zero faults in the competition. Also at the 1986 World Cup, she put on display her best show jumping while competing against 72 athletes. The odds were against her, but she finished four Finals without knocking down a rail or making any violations.
In June of 1987, at the Loblaws Showjumping Classic, she took the victory, which qualified her to compete in the August 1987 Pan-Am Games and the World Cup competition. After these competitions were over, Greenough continued to compete for awhile with moderate success. After failing to secure a position on Canada's Olympic Equestrian Team in 1992, she retired.
After she stopped competing, she provided commentary for events on CBC Sports. She became a member of the Canadian Show Jumping Team selection committee. In 2001, she made a return to the grand prix ring. She won several events. She also won the highly favored Chrysler Leading Canadian Rider Award at the Spruce Meadows Masters tournament. In 1990, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

Honors

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Personal life

Greenough has her business now, Greenough Equestrian, in Creekside Farm near Calgary, Alberta. It is a clinic where she trains and teaches equestrian skills.