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Shutterfly takes his third World Cup
 Shutterfly and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum on their way to their third World Cup victory. © Kit Houghton/FEI |
Three days without a rail down, first place all the way, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and her Hanoverian gelding, Shutterfly (Silvio/Forrest xx), have claimed their third Rolex World Cup. They also won in 2005 and again in 2008.
In the world of international show jumping, there are a few greats, both human and equine, that will be long remembered for their consistent success and the excitement they have provided for their fans. Their names spring immediately to mind whenever "show jumping" is mentioned; names such as Pat Smythe, Nick Skelton, Hugo Simon, Nelson and Rodrigo Pessoa on the human side; E.T. FRH, Milton, Dollar Girl, Ratina Z representing the equines.
And now, there is Shutterfly.
The first ever showjumping world cup was held in 1979 in Goteborg, Sweden and was won by Hugo Simon and his Hanoverian gelding Gladstone (Goetz/Weingau).
Simon became the first rider to achieve three world cup wins when he secured victory with E.T.FRH (also Hanoverian, by Espri/Garibaldi II) in 1996 and 1997.
World-renowned show jumper Rodrigo Pessoa achieved three consecutive World Cup wins in 1998, 1999 and 2000, all on the same horse, the Selle Francais stallion, Baloubet du Rouet, which was the first horse to gain three World Cup victories.
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and her amazing 16 year old Hanoverian gelding, Shutterfly, the only other combination to have won the World Cup three times, have definitely secured their places in the equestrian hall of fame.
