Wikipedia Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
Karl Cook is heir to his famous father’s two billion dollar throne, but he also made a name for himself as an accomplished equestrian. Since starting his career at age 8, Cook has won countless championships & other competitions.
Early Life, Family and Dating :
- Karl Cook was born on December 25, 1990, in Woodside California.
- Parents : He is the son of Signe Otsby and Scott Cook.
- Karl’s dad, Scott founded a tax software firm called Intuit in 1983 and his net worth is approximately $2 billion!
- His mom, Signe, is a businesswoman. She launched her own software startup and marketing strategy consulting practice & has also worked for big companies like Apple and RadioShack. She is also a co-founder of the Wisconsin School of Business Center for Brand and Product Management.
- Karl has one sister, Annie Laurie Cook, who has also ridden competitively.
- Their mother Signe also loves to ride horses and has ridden with Karl’s first trainers since the 1980s. She even owns Pomponio Ranch Stallions, the family’s breeding ranch in San Gregorio, California. The ranch breeds most of the horses that Karl competes with.
- Karl shot into limelight after he started dating The Big Bang Theory actress, Kaley Cuoco, who is also a fellow horse rider. There is an age difference of 5 years between the two.
- In July 2018, Kaley and Karl tied the knot in a simple ceremony in San Diego, California, after seven months of being engaged.
Karl Cook Net Worth, Profession & Business :
- Karl got his first horse when he 8 years old!
- He trained with Graeme & Lu Thomas at Willow Tree Farm for 12 years to become a professional horse rider.
- In 2008, Cook turned amateur.
- In 2012, at the age of 21, Karl had almost given up the sport entirely. After competing in the USEF Olympic Selection Trials and not performing to his usual standard, he returned home feeling the need for a change.
- However, he felt that he was not good at anything else and refused to go back to school.
- This is when Karl made the decision to start over. He left his longtime trainers to pair up with French former Olympic athlete, Eric Navet.
- Soon he moved to Normandy, France for the summer of 2012, taking his horses with him.
- It proved challenging since he did not know any French. However, the experience was worth it.
- He worked with French athlete Philippe Benoit to get his horses in excellent condition and maintain it.
- In 2014, Karl won 4 Grand Prix events with horses “Jonkheer Z” and “Basimodo.”
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- Cook co-owns a dwarf mini horse named Shmooshy with his wife, Kaley.
- He also enjoys photography and a form of woodworking called “lazy turning.”
- Aside from competing in equestrian competitions, Karl is also interested in equine sports medicine research.
- He has also launched his own line of riding attire, stating that wearing non-traditional clothing brings more excitement to the competition for him personally.
Awards :
- 2007 FEI North American Junior Young Rider Championship
- 2008 FEI North American Junior Young Rider Championship
- 1st place in SmarkPak Grand Prix in 2016
- 1st place in the UltrOz Jumper in 2016
- 1st place in the Card Flex Grand Prix in 2016