Karl Cook & Kaley Cuoco: Making a Big Bang out of Riding, Rescue and Their Relationship \u2013 The Newly Engaged Horse-Loving Couple Shares Their Story About Love and Life<\/strong><\/p>\nFor recently engaged couple Karl Cook and Kaley Cuoco, there are more important things than winning, blue ribbons, fame and stardom \u2014 like relationships, caring for animals and finding joy in life \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t have it all. While Kaley\u2019s well-recognized for her starring role as an actress on \u201cThe Big Bang Theory,\u201d Karl\u2019s making a big bang in the West Coast equestrian world. Together, they\u2019re an equestrian power couple not just changing each other\u2019s lives but changing the lives of the horses and animals around them.<\/p>\n
Karl was just 8 when he started riding, an interest he inherited from his mother. Even now, she plays a role in his equestrian pursuits: Signe Ostby founded Pomponio Ranch and began breeding horses in 2011, while Karl and Olympic medalist Eric Navet operate the performance side of Pomponio. After success as a junior and amateur, Karl\u2019s budding career already lists wins in FEI World Cup qualifiers and hosts of top placings at major shows across North America \u2014 predominantly on the West Coast, where he hopes to help elevate the sport.<\/p>\n
Kaley also started riding because of her mother. \u201cI owe my love of horses to my mom,\u201d she said. \u201cI played tennis as a kid and junior, and when I got my first TV series at 15, I needed to find another hobby. My mom said, \u2018Take a riding lesson, you will love it!\u2019 And the rest is history!\u201d<\/p>\n
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Bonding on Horseback<\/em><\/p>\nAll through becoming famous as an actress and some challenging real-life trials, horses have been Kaley\u2019s constant. As most of her 3 million-plus followers on Instagram could tell you, she would rather be known as a good rider than for her career. She currently rides six horses, and has always managed to find time to show them even on a busy Hollywood schedule \u2014 which is how she and Karl met.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe met at Thermal in 2016, and the day we met I actually ended up asking her out to dinner,\u201d Karl shared. \u201cWe went to dinner that night and we\u2019ve been together ever since.\u201d At the time, he didn\u2019t really know who Kaley was. He had seen her at horse shows, not on TV, so to him she was just a beautiful, good rider who was passionate about horses \u2014 still a strong foundation in their relationship.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe met each other because of horses. Horses are a big part of our lives individually, and together it\u2019s amplified because it\u2019s something we share, and we can do it together,\u201d Karl said.<\/p>\n
For Kaley, having such a strong common interest has been life-changing. \u201cI never thought it truly mattered \u2019til I met Karl,\u201d she shared. \u201cTo have such a wonderful bond over something that means so much to both of us is truly unique and magical. We both understand the sport and what it takes day to day to succeed. We have this deep support for each other that I\u2019ve never had with anyone before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSupportive\u201d describes Karl and Kaley\u2019s relationship accurately, from cheering each other on in the show ring to being flexible with one another\u2019s busy careers. Kaley currently lives in Los Angeles, and Karl near San Diego \u2014 anywhere from an hour and a half to three or four hours apart, depending on infamous L.A. traffic.<\/p>\n
Of course, whether they get to spend time together in San Diego or L.A., Karl and Kaley are all about the horses. \u201cWe kind of always ride,\u201d Karl shared. \u201cWe\u2019re either riding or getting ready to ride. When we\u2019re at home down here, she\u2019ll get on a couple of horses, and vice versa when I go up to her barn. When we\u2019re at shows, a lot of the time we\u2019ll be in the same ring riding, and we go on trail rides together, that sort of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Big Family<\/em><\/p>\nWhen they\u2019re together and not riding, Karl and Kaley enjoy cooking together and have recently developed an affinity for bourbons, putting on their own private tastings. And then, aside from the horses, there are their other four-legged family members \u2014 Kaley has three rescue dogs: Norman, Shirley and Ruby, and Karl has a 75-pound English bulldog named Tank.<\/p>\n
Kaley\u2019s popular Instagram account, @normancook, is even named after one of her beloved rescues. \u201cShe named hers after her dog,\u201d shared Karl, whose Instagram is @mrtankcook, \u201cand then I was creating my Instagram and thought I should follow suit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple\u2019s third Instagram account, @lifewithshmooshy, belongs to another rescued family member: Shmooshy, a dwarf miniature horse. Karl and Kaley adopted Shmooshy with the help of The Peeps Foundation while they were showing in Kentucky. Though Shmooshy lives in L.A. with the rest of Kaley\u2019s horses, she and Kaley\u2019s other \u201cbabies\u201d generally enjoy life out of the pop-culture limelight.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dogs would much rather lounge by the pool in our backyard than come with me to work,\u201d Kaley said. \u201cThey are quite spoiled! The same goes for Shmoosh.\u201d Of course, Shmooshy is too cute not to share, and appeared with Kaley on television last fall. \u201cShe has become quite the diva since her TV debut on \u2018The Talk\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n
Supporting animal rescue is something Kaley is passionate about, from her three dogs and Shmooshy to her recent acquisition of three rescue rabbits. \u201cAnimal rescue is super important to me because we give a voice to the voiceless,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has become more and more of a passion over time and I will literally spend my life saving as many animals as possible and speaking on adoption, volunteering and spay and neuter whenever I possibly can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Animal welfare is also something Karl is passionate about \u2014 especially of sporthorses. At Pomponio, he has a vet on contract that cares for the 15 horses in work there full time instead of just when issues arise. \u201cWe don\u2019t do anything just because it\u2019s routine,\u201d he explained about some industry practices such as joint injections. \u201cWe try to be in tune with our horses so before there\u2019s actually a problem, we find it. It\u2019s hard \u2014 it takes a good farrier, a good vet, good riders and good trainers that see the horse as a true athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n
Big Future<\/em><\/p>\nWorking with Eric Navet, Karl strives to improve the horses and results coming out of the West Coast by bringing along young horses, including a few his mother has bred. He\u2019s very passionate about improving horses\u2019 care, and hopes to host clinics and seminars that will open the door for more farm-to-farm communication.<\/p>\n
When it comes to goals, Karl hasn\u2019t got his sights set on any particular achievements. \u201cThe horses kind of tell you when they\u2019re ready for what, and I have to take it as they come a bit more than most people,\u201d he said, since he works mostly with young horses. \u201cIt makes it more enjoyable for me because I don\u2019t get disappointed that some nebulous goal that I set for myself didn\u2019t get accomplished. Just being out there doing it and seeing progress is what makes me happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently in season 11 and renewed for season 12, \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d has been a large part of Kaley\u2019s life for over a decade. \u201cI\u2019m unsure what my future holds after \u2018Big Bang,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cI think about it all the time, and all I can say is it will include a lot of horses, dogs and free time with Karl. I will never be done working, since it\u2019s what I do, but I look forward to a change of pace!\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, wedding planning will be another change of pace for the couple. Karl proposed to Kaley on her birthday, November 30. The post-engagement video had over 5 million views within 12 hours of the exciting announcement. \u201cWe have been each other\u2019s true other half since day one and we can\u2019t wait to spend forever together,\u201d the couple shared. \u201cDogs, horses and all!\u201d<\/p>\n
Horses are the one thing that won\u2019t change for Karl and Kaley anytime soon. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge thing in our relationship that we share, and not every relationship has that,\u201d said Karl, who also said that he hasn\u2019t felt the heat of the paparazzi as much as he might have expected \u2014 due once again to horses. \u201cPeople recognize her and want pictures with her, but with horse shows and where we ride, we\u2019re pretty excluded from everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Kaley, things are pretty simple. \u201cI have said it before and I will say it again: I want to be known as a good and respectful rider who adores her horses and adores the sport. And if then they realize, \u2018Oh, she\u2019s on that TV show,\u2019 that\u2019s cool, too.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kaley stond vorige maand samen met haar verloofde Karl Cook op de cover van het tijdschrift Sidelines met een nieuwe fotoshoot door Kristin Lee. Galerij […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fotoshoots","category-kaley-cuoco"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4934"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4935,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4934\/revisions\/4935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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