Bill Gates' Daughter Jennifer Aims High in Miami Beach Horse-Jumping Competition
Jennifer Gates, the 21-year-old daughter of billionaire businessman Bill Gates and wife Melinda Gates, tested her equestrian skills on Thursday while competing in the Longines Global Champions Tour in Miami Beach, Florida.
A nationally ranked professional show jumper, Jennifer appeared to be in solid form at the event, which runs through Saturday on a beachside competition ring set up behind the luxe Setai Hotel.
Dressed in a blue riding coat featuring the name of her training facility, Evergate Stables (which has bases in Rancho Santa Fe, California, and Wellington, Florida), Jennifer rode a 14-year-old gray Levisto named Luftikus S. The horse is one of 10 she’s ridden throughout her competition career, according to her official bio.
On the Longines Global Champions Tour, Jennifer is competing against 63 other riders from all over the world, including Australia, Brazil, Egypt, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K., according to the competition’s website.
Jennifer’s not the only one with a famous last name on the roster: She’ll also be going up against Georgina Bloomberg, daughter of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Jessica Springsteen, daughter of singer (and current Broadway star) Bruce Springsteen.
When she’s not competing, Jennifer is a student at Stanford University. The human biology student is expected to graduate this year, according to her Instagram bio.
She told Horse Network in 2016 that balancing school work and horse shows on the weekend makes her life “a little busy,” but that she loves doing both.
As for whether she’ll pursue it as a full-time career path after graduation, Jennifer was torn.
“I honestly don’t know,” she said. “I never saw myself jumping these big classes, ever. So it’s kind of new to me that I could do them and do well. I always thought I’d just be an amateur and go to medical school or pursue another professional career. But I don’t know now. This may be something that I’ll want to dedicate a few more years to and try and jump 5* Grand Prix and see where it goes.”
Bill and Melinda Gates also have an 18-year-old son, Rory, and 15-year-old daughter, Phoebe.
Meanwhile, this is the fourth year in a row the Longines Global Champions Tour has rolled into Miami. The second leg in the 2018 season, the competition gives riders the chance to gain points in the overall Championship season battle.