William Clark "Bill" Steinkraus (October 12, 1925 – November 29, 2017) was an American

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrianism, equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, Show hunter, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including th ...

champion. Steinkraus participated in five Olympic Games. At the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

, held in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, he won a gold medal in individual jumping with the horse, Snowbound.Profile: "William Steinkraus"
''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on January 8, 2008) He obtained two silver medals in Team Jumping, first in 1960 on his mount, Ksar d'Espirt, and 1972 on Main Spring. Steinkraus also won a bronze medal in Team Jumping at the 1952 Olympics in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

on Hollandia. He was also slated to ride on the 1964 Olympic Team until his horse, Sinjon, was injured.Bryant, Jennifer O. Olympic Equestrian, A Century of International Horse Sport. Lexington, KY: Blood-Horse Publications, 2008.

Biography

Steinkraus was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. He first rode at the age of ten while at summer camp, after which he took lessons with such well-known horsemen as Gordon Wright and Morton W. "Cappy" Smith. He rode sales horses for Smith, allowing him to hone his skills on various mounts. In 1941 Steinkraus reached the highest level of equitation competition when he won the ASPCA Maclay Cup in Hunter Seat Equitation and the Good Hands Finals in

Saddle Seat Saddle seat is a style of horse riding within the category of English riding that is designed to show off the high action of certain horse breeds. The style developed into its modern form in the United States, and is also seen in Canada and Sout ...

Equitation at the

National Horse Show The National Horse Show is the oldest continually held horse show in the United States. It was founded in 1883 in New York and held there until 2002, when it moved to Florida and then to Kentucky. The National Horse Show offers competition for hu ...

. Following his early successes, Steinkraus left to attend

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. After his first year of college, he joined the cavalry branch of the Army and was one of the final classes to receive their training on horseback. He was then shipped to Burma during World War II, where he served as part of the 124th Cavalry Regiment from 1943 to 1945. He then returned to the United States and finished his education at Yale, being graduated in 1949. After college, Steinkraus focused on his riding career, and went on to join the Olympic team at the 1952 Helsinki Games. He also was a true amateur during this time, working as a businessman. Steinkraus retired from international competition at the end of 1972, following the show season, but continued to remain involved in the horse showing industry. This included involvement in the

USET The United States Equestrian Team (USET) refers to the American national teams in Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines of horse sport. US Equestrian, the governing body of horse sport in the United States, selects, trains and funds the teams. The O ...

, either as president or chairman, from 1972 to 1992, and as an "Honorary Member" of the FEI Bureau. He also was a television commentator from 1976 to 1988 and a judge at the 1992 Olympic Games. As of 2008, he was still riding and playing chamber music. He was married to Helen Ziegler, daughter of industrialist

William Ziegler Jr. William J. Ziegler Jr. (July 21, 1891 – March 3, 1958) was an American business executive, philanthropist, polo player, yachtsman, and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. Born William Conrad Brandt in Muscatine, Iowa to the half-brother ...

Helen died in 2012.

Publications by Steinkraus

* ''Riding and Jumping'' (1961) * ''The U.S. Equestrian Team Book of Riding'' (1976) * ''The Horse in Sport'' (1987) * ''Reflections on Riding and Jumping'' (1991)

References

External links

Biography

Publications by Steinkraus

See also

References

External links