• Jessica Springsteen is the daughter of rock-and-roll artist Bruce Springsteen.
• The 26-year-old began riding horses at a young age, and has become a top equestrian.
• She reportedly has her eyes set on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
You might say that Jessica Springsteen was born to ride.
The only daughter and middle child of rock-and-roll legend Bruce and his wife Patti Scialfa – who are worth around $75 million, according to Forbes – has been riding horses from an early age.
Springsteen, her parents, her older brother Evan, and her younger brother Samuel moved from Los Angeles to New Jersey in the early 1990s. According to John D. Luerssen’s book “Bruce Springsteen FAQ: All That’s Left to Know about The Boss,” the couple wanted to give their kids “a more normal life experience” away from the paparazzi.
As a result, the Springsteen kids partly grew up on an East Coast farm. Spingsteen developed an interest in horseback riding, and the rest is history.
Here's a look at the life of Jessica Springsteen:
The family of the future equestrian settled down on a 300-acre estate dubbed Stone Hill Farm in the appropriately-named Colts Neck Township, New Jersey. Springsteen got her first pony at the age of six, and the family kept horses, as well as goats, chickens, pigs, and two "violent" ostriches.
Springsteen's mom Patti Scialfa had always had an interest in horseback riding. She began taking lessons, and so did 5-year-old Springsteen.
Source: CNN
Springsteen attended the Ranney School in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and graduated from Duke University, where she majored in psychology, in 2014.
Source: Team USA
After college, she began to find success at major competitions, serving as an alternate for the 2012 US Olympics team at the age of 20. Springsteen won the American Gold Cup in 2014, and won a five-star Grand Prix jumping competition in 2016.
Source: Billboard
As a kid, Springsteen would sometimes tag along with her parents while they were on tour. Now, the roles have largely flipped. "I'm incredibly lucky to have had them supporting my career for so many years," she told Noelle Floyd.
Source: Noelle Floyd
Springsteen's rocker father even purchased a house in Wellington, Florida — the equestrian capital of the US.
Source: Palm Beach Post, Variety, NJ.com
Springsteen also finds support in her polo-playing boyfriend Nic Roldan. She told Hola TV that it's nice to date someone "that does the same thing" because they "can really understand each other."
Source: App., Hello Magazine, Instagram.com/JessicaSpringsteen
She also takes the time to travel. Photos of her journeys to faraway places like Cannes, Barcelona, and Shanghai dot her Instagram.
Source: Inside Jersey, Instagram.com/JessicaSpringsteen
The United States Equestrian Federation now ranks Springsteen as the ninth-best show jumper in the country. Since 2010, she's won $1,255,443 in prize money.
Source: United States Equestrian Federation, United States Equestrian Federation
She also competes against other top show jumpers with famous connections, like Steve Jobs' daughter Eve Jobs, Bill Gates' daughter Jennifer, Michael Bloomberg's daughter Georgina, and Steven Spielberg's daughter Destry.
Source: Business Insider, Business Insider, Business Insider
Springsteen's best advice to young horseback riders is to not be "so hard on yourself." "You have to be confident and you have to know that you can compete against the best of them," she told Noelle Floyd.
Source: Noelle Floyd
Springsteen's career hasn't solely been about horseback riding, though. She's been an ambassador for Gucci and Polo Ralph Lauren, too.
Source: Daily Mail, WWD, Instagram.com/JessicaSpringsteen
And she's an animal welfare advocate and proud owner of rescue dogs. In 2014, she called on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to sign legislation combatting puppy mills, as someone who had "adopted rescue dogs since childhood."
Source: NJ.com, Instagram.com/JessicaSpringsteen
So what's next for Springsteen? In 2016, she told Equnews that her focus was on the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Source: Billboard, Inside Jersey, Equnews
And, Springsteen told CNN she'd continue to be grateful about getting to do what she loves every day: "I love working with horses, and I can't imagine not having them in my life."
Source: CNN
