Steinkraus, "Bill" (William C.)
Equestrian sports
b. Oct. 12, 1925, Cleveland, OH
One of the first members of the American Pony Club as a child, Steinkraus took up show jumping in 1938 and won the Maclay Trophy for hunter seat at the 1940 National Horse Show. After serving in the U. S. Army's 124th Cavalry Regiment during World War II, he graduated from Yale in 1948.
Steinkraus rode for six U. S. Olympic equestrian teams, from 1952 through 1972, and was captain of the last five. In 1968, he became the first American to win an individual equestrian gold medal, taking the jumping event. The U. S. team won the bronze medal in the event. He was also a member of the 1960 and 1972 silver medal jumping teams.
He retired from competition after the 1972 Olympics and was president of the U. S. Equestrian Team from 1973 to 1983. He also did television commentary and served as a judge at the 1992 Olympics.
Steinkraus wrote four books, Riding and Jumping (1961), The U.S. Equestrian Team Book of Riding (1976), The Horse in Sport (1987), and Reflections on Riding and Jumping (1991).