Hometown: Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Birthday: 12/25/1990 Sport/Disciplines: Jumping

Karl Cook started riding at the age of 8 with his mother and sister, quickly developing a lifelong passion for horses. He had a successful junior and young rider career, competing in the 2007, 2008, and 2009 FEI North American Youth Championships and winning double gold in 2007 and team gold and individiual silver in 2008. 

Cook has scored numerous top results throughout his professional career. He has competed in three FEI World Cup Finals: 2013, 2015, and 2017. In 2016, Cook made his senior Nations Cup debut at Langley (CAN) with Tembla. In 2022, Cook was again on the NetJets^® U.S. Jumping Team at Langley (CAN), riding Coachella 4. In 2023, Cook was on the winning U.S. team at the Nations Cup in San Juan Capistrano (USA) and helped secure third-place finishes in Langley (CAN) and Falsterbo (SWE) riding Kalinka van't Zorgvliet. He then made his first championship appearance for the team at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, with Caracole de la Roque, helping the team secure gold. The duo finished off their season with their first CSI5* Grand Prix win in Thermal, Calif. 

The 2024 season has been a strong showing for Cook and his string. With Caracole de la Roque, Cook took second in the prestigious Rolex Grand Prix in Wellington, Fla., before being named to the U.S. Jumping Team Short List for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The duo were strong in their Nations Cup competitions, and exceled in each of their Grand Prix classes, securing top honors in the Rolex Grand Prix of Rome CSIO5* in May and earning a second-place finish at the Rolex Grand Prix of La Baule CSIO5* in June. 

Cook and Caracole de la Roque were selected as the alternate athlete combination for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.