ShowBiz Feature
JENNIFER CROOKS A Children's Love Story in Our Sport
of even the toughest critic......So sit down and read awhile, it is a guarantee your life will look a little different when you are done. This is one of those stories that surprises
H
ow did a New York City born Irish girl from the east coast end up in Idaho with a truck load of top Grand Prix horses and head- ing toward a dozen kids? The story is an interesting one and certainly one of "those" love stories that will melt the hearts
and awes readers and makes for a pause in our busy schedules as the realization of how horse people can actually be successful at the top and yet give back to the world in the most intimate way.... loving children and making a difference in the hearts of future generations for centuries to come. There are actually TWO stories of this ladies life that sort of run parallel so let's take them one at a time, first the horses. HORSES, COMPETING AND THE HORSE INDUS-
nifer Crooks was born into the family of Dennis and Olivia Cox-Fill, one of four children. Her father was the Asian Rep for Bristol Meyers and took the family to Hong Kong
for six years before settling down in Princeton, New Jersey while Jennifer was still just a child. Her mother, of Irish de- scent, rode side saddle in competition and made sure there were ponies in the lives of her children. Her official riding education started when she was eight
years old in New Jersey at the Amwell Valley Hounds Pony Club in nearby Pennington and then riding with Maxine Best (Greg's mom). When she was thirteen she inherited her moms side saddle horse, Black Magic to show in the Junior Hunters with Mike Hennigan at Madison Square Garden. Then off to boarding school at Foxcroft and Windsor. Following graduation Jennifer moved
TRY It starts like most other little girl and horses stories. Jen-
do the books and manage his place," laughs Jennifer. Together they bought cheap thoroughbreds from
a blind date that set the two on a path for a future together. "Mike thought it was great he found someone he loved that could also
to Seattle, Washington to live with her dad and she got a volunteer job with Anne Salinger Cox (Franks mother) at Parkside Stables. Anne and Frank had a good friend, Mike Crooks, they arranged
Montana. Mike explains, "We did the best we could but it was obvious Jennifer needed a real horse. Anto- nio Chedraur from Mexico had a hot, bouncy Belgium warmblood mare named Stella at Indio that year. She had a major attitude, a big buck but gave 150% every
Opposite Page: Jennifer riding Sadin(left) and Camilla II Z(right), surrounded by pictures of her family. This Page (Top to Bottom): The family at Spruce Meadows; Jennifer and Frolic.
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by Kathy Hobstetter Photos Courtesy Jennifer Crooks
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