Beezie Madden

Life and career

Madden was born Elizabeth Patton in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of Kathleen "Kathy" McGregor/Schlesinger and Joseph "Joe" Patton. She began riding at the age of three and her first horse was called Flicka. Madden has been asked what she would do if she could start her life over again and she has said she would do the same thing. She is coached by her husband, John Madden, who also runs his own business, John Madden Sales, from their farm in Cazenovia, New York.

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Madden won the gold medal as part of the United States team in Team jumping, together with Peter Wylde, McLain Ward and Chris Kappler. That year, Madden also became the first woman ever to pass the $1 million mark in show jumping earnings.

At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Madden earned gold in the Team Jumping competition along with Laura Kraut, Will Simpson and McLain Ward. She also earned a bronze in the Individual Show Jumping competition. She also placed first in the Animal Planet Sport Horse cup aboard Judgement that year but during the 2008 Rolex Events in Las Vegas, Authentic threw Madden into a jump, and later was disqualified from the entire event.

In 2012, Madden competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics for the United States on Coral Reef Via Volo. In 2013, she was the 4th ranked rider in the world on the FEI Longines Rider Rankings and the number one woman rider. To accomplish this goal she won the Show Jumping World Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden on Simon, the $125,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida on Cortes 'C', was a member of Team USA winning the $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup CSIO4* at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, again on Simon, the $35,000 RBC Capital Markets Cup 1.50 m at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta on Amadora, the $60,000 Great West-Life Cup at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta on Coral Reef Via Volo. the Global Champions Tour CSI5* Grand Prix of Chantilly in France on Cortes 'C' and the $100,000 American Gold Cup Qualifier in North Salem, New York on Coral Reef Via Volo.

In 2014, riding Cortes 'C', Madden was the first woman to win the King George Gold Cup at Hickstead, and the first woman to win the same competition back to back in the King George V Cup when she won again on the same mount in 2015. Also in 2014, Madden and Cortes 'C' won a team and individual bronze at the 2014 World Equestrian Games. The horse was voted the Best Horse of the Games. She also won the $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational in Tampa with Coral Reef Via Volo in 2014. As of 2014 Madden was 2nd in all-time prize money winnings at Spruce Meadows. Madden also won the USEF Equestrian of the Year award again in 2014, making her the first rider to win this award four times. In 2015, Madden competed in her tenth FEI Jumping World Cup Final with Simon in Las Vegas where she finished as the top US rider and 4th overall. Later that year, Madden and Breitling LS were 10th in the $50,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier and 11th in the $250,000 Hampton Classic Grand Prix CSI****.

In 2016 the U.S. Team, won the FEI Nations Cup with Madden aboard Breitling LS. Madden and Cortes 'C' were named to the 2016 U.S. Olympic show jumping team, making this her fourth Olympics, along with McLain Ward, Lucy Davis, and Kent Farrington. Madden and Cortes 'C' traveled to Europe to show with the U.S. Team, as they tied with France for the Silver medal in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by Longines in Italy.

Some of Madden's best-known horses have been Authentic, Cortes C, and Judgement (now retired). As of 2016, Madden currently has seven horses that she competes on regularly; most are owned by her longtime sponsor, Abigail Wexner, of New Albany, Ohio.