Anky van Grunsven

About

Multi record-breaking Dutch dressage champion who earned many of her historical achievements in the sport on her horses Bonfire and Salinero. With 9 individual Olympic medals, she became the most decorated Olympic equestrian in history, and the only rider to have won 3 consecutive Olympic wins in the same event. In addition to her Olympic accomplishments, she is also a 9-time winner of the Dressage World Cup

Before Fame

She was given her first pony, a Shetland named Heleentje, when she was just 6 years old. She received riding lessons from her father and enrolled in her hometown's pony club. By age 7, she had begun showjumping, and she would go on to begin riding professionally as a teen. Her first horse as a professional rider, Prisco, helped her earn her first championship after having progressed from Level L to Z level in 1982.

Trivia

In 2010, she became the only rider to have competed in every single World Equestrian Games since the tournament was established in 1990. In addition to dressage, she also competed on the Dutch reining team in 2010. Disappointed by the existing options in riding fashion, she launched her own line of equestrian clothing in 1999, which eventually went on to be marketed worldwide.

Family Life

She married Dutch national riding instructor Sjef Janssen in 2005. They share 2 children, including a son named Yannick and a daughter named Ava Eden.  

Associated With

Her performance at the 1994 World Equestrian Games, which led her to win a gold medal in freestyle dressage, was described by fellow Olympic equestrian Carl Hester as having "changed the world of dressage forever."