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 Robert Smith is one of Great Britain’s most successful and experienced international show jumpers, with a career that has firmly established him as being one of the very best in the world. Famously competitive, Robert has won many of the major international show jumping accolades and some four decades later he is still at the top of his game.
Born in Yorkshire in June 1961, Robert was quick to following the Smith family tradition and claimed his first significant Grand Prix win at the Great Yorkshire Show at just 15 years of age. That same year (1977) he was on the Gold Medal winning junior team at the European Championships. Two years later he surpassed this by winning the prestigious King George V Gold Cup (a title he has won on three occasions) and to this day, remains the youngest competitor to achieve this.
Robert’s show jumping career has brought with it countless wins since then and among his many achievements is his performance in the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, where he achieved ‘Best of British’ finishing fourth as an individual on the amazing Mr Springfield.
 He topped British Showjumping’s Rider Rankings for three consecutive years in 2002, 2003 and 2004 as well as winning back-to-back British Open titles on Kalusha in 2005 and 2006, and many World Cup qualifiers and major Grands Prix. On home soil, he has enjoyed multiple wins at Horse of the Year Show and Olympia, and also won the Chester Masters in 2009 on Raging Bull Vangelis S.
Robert has represented his country in Nations Cup teams on over 80 occasions, where he has carved a niche as a regular anchor man for the team. Team competitions also include European Championships and more recently, the World Equestrian Games in 2010 where he again consistently delivered on the amazing Talan to post the best British score.
His consistent successes have also made Robert a much sought-after trainer having mentored many of today’s top young riders. Robert combines his competition schedule with training in Holland where, together with his partner Shelley Redbart, he continues to help many young aspiring riders with their show jumping careers. The well-appointed training centre, from which they also operate a high calibre performance horse sales agency, has an ideal location near Eindhoven making it accessible for many European riders, owners and visitors.
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ROBERT SMITH CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
- At just 15 years old, he won the Yorkshire Grand Prix at the Great Yorkshire Show on Caldene Cresta, which he considers to be his first major achievement.
- In 1977, together with his brother Steven, he was a member of the 1977 British Junior European Gold Medal winning team.Two years later in 1979, at just 17, he became the youngest ever winner of the King George V Gold Cup at the Royal International Horse Show on Upton. Robert went on to win this again in 1988 on Brookstreet Boysie and in 1998 on Senator Mighty Blue.
- Robert was a member of the Bronze Medal winning team in the European Championships in 1997. In 2000, Robert made headline news for winning seven classes at Horse of the Year Show. He followed this by victories at HOYS in both 2001 and 2002.
- He was awarded the Leading Rider of the Show Trophy at Olympia 2002 winning three classes including the World Cup Qualifier. In March 2003, Robert was awarded a World Cup Silver Medal for 100 starts in World Cup competitions.
Robert was a member of the World Class Performance Squad in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
- Robert has won the coveted British Open title for two consecutive years in 2005 and 2006 and was third in 2009.
- Winner of the British Masters at Chester in 2009 on Vangelis S.
- Robert achieved the rare double of winning both the World Cup Qualifier and the Grand Prix at Olympia on Kalusha in December 2005.
- Robert was winner of the Animal Health Trust UK Equestrian Award in 2004.
- He has represented Great Britain in the Nations Cup team on over 80 occasions.
- Robert represented Great Britain as an individual competitor in the Athens 2004 Olympics where he finished fourth, the highest placed British rider in the competition.
- Riding Mr Springfield, Robert achieved third place in the prestigious 2004 $1,000,000 Calgary Grand Prix in Spruce Meadows, show jumping's richest competition
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RECENT MAJOR CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS:
1st Assen, Netherlands - Balourado 1st Team GBR - Nations Cup, Dublin - Talan 2nd Longines King George V Gold Cup, RIHS Hickstead - Talan 1st 32,000 Feature Grand Prix, Ascona - Talan 3rd 40,000 Euro Grand Prix, Lummen - Talan
1st 1.40 Speed Class, Lummen - Balourado
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1st - Member of Team GBR winning Longines Nations Cup at CSIO***** Abu Dhabi (Talan)
Team member – World Equestrian Games, Kentucky-Talan
5th $1,000,000 Grand Prix, Spruce Meadows - Talan
2nd King George V Cup, Hickstead – Talan
=3rd Hickstead Derby - Talan
5th Hamburg Derby – Raging Bull Vangelis S |
1st British Masters, Chester - Vangelis S
=3rd Hickstead Derby - Vangelis S
3rd British Open Show Jumping Championships
– Vangelis S, Columbia
1st Midland Masters, British Open Show Jumping Championships – Columbia
2nd Team GB, Bremen CSI****
- Columbia
1st Olympia Speed Stakes -
Raging Bull Vangelis S
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 1st Sprehe Gold Cup, CSI4* Munchen (Columbia)
2nd Muller-Brot Preis, CSI4* Munchen (Vangelis S)
1st Winning Nations Cup team CSIO5* (Vangelis S)
1st Grand Prix, Frankfurt (Columbia)
1st Speed Grand Prix, CSI4* Geesteren (Ronaldo)
1st Winning Nations Cup Team CSIO5* Rome (Ronaldo)
1st Open Aintree International (Kalusha)
1st CSI-W, Verona (Kalusha)
1st Spanish Sunshine Tour Grand Prix (A) (Talan)
2nd Spanish Sunshine Tour Grand Prix (B) (Talan)
1st Spanish Sunshine Tour (Columbia)
1st Spanish Sunshine Tour (Columbia)
3rd Spanish Sunshine Tour (Vangelis S)
1st British Open, Birmingham (Mr Springfield)
2nd British Open, Birmingham (Kalusha)
1st 7yo & 8yo CSI 5* Hamburg (Talan)
3rd Grand Prix, CSI5* Mechelen (Columbia)
2nd Accumulator CSIO 5* Rome (Mr Springfield)
3rd Grand Prix Chester Racecourse (Mr Springfield)
1st Accumulator CSIO 5* Dublin (Mr Springfield)
3rd Nations Cup Team CSIO5* Madrid (Vangelis S)
4th Belgravia British Masters, Chester Racecourse (Talan)
6th Grand Prix, CSIO5* Rotterdam (Vangelis S)
12th $1,000,000 Grand Prix, Calgary (Vangelis S)
2nd Horse of the Year Show (Vangelis S)
6th World Cup Qualifier CSI-W Verona (Vangelis S)
2nd CSI4* Maastricht (Vangelis S) |
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3rd Estoril – 300,000 Euros Global Champions Tour (Ronaldo) 1st Estoril (Vangelis S) 1 st Speed Champion, Royal Dublin Horse Show (Gerry Maguire)
1st Nations Cup Winning Team Member, Royal Dublin Horse Show (Ronaldo)
1st Nations Cup Winning Team Member, Rome (Ronaldo)
1st Young Horse Champion, Valkenswaard (Talan)
2nd Grand Prix, Valkenswaard (Ronaldo)
1st Six Bar Final, Rome (Vangelis)
1st Royal Windsor Horse Show (Vangelis)
1st Speed GP, France (Marius Claudius)
Plus many other numerous wins and placings both internationally and nationally. |
1st British Open Show Jumping Champion, Sheffield (Kalusha)
1st Wellington Masters Grand Prix, Florida (Gerry Maguire)
1st Speed Stakes, Florida (Gerry Maguire)
1st Nations Cup (Team) Hickstead (Marius Claudius)
1st Grand Prix, Arena UK (Marius Claudius) |
1st British Open Champion, Sheffield (Kalusha)
1st Sheffield Masters (Marius Claudius)
1st Grand Prix - BSJA Scope Festival (Ronaldo)
1st World Cup Qualifier - Goteburg (Kalusha)
1st Lisbon (Marius Claudius)
1st Eindhoven (Marius Claudius)
Leading Rider of the Show - Geneva
1st World Cup Qualifier, Olympia London (Kalusha)
1st Grand Prix, Olympia London (Kalusha) |
Leading Rider of the Year - BSJA Ranking List
4th Olympic Games, Athens (Individual Show Jumping) Mr Springfield
3rd $1,000,000 Grand Prix, Spruce Meadows (Mr Springfield)
1st Nations Cup, Hickstead (Mr Springfield)
1st International Stakes, Hickstead (Marius Claudius)
1st Gothenburg Cup, Sweden (Kalusha)
1st Sires of the World Grand Prix, S'Hertogenbosch (Marius Claudius)
2nd British Open Show Jumping Championships, Sheffield 2004 (Mr Springfield)
1st Speed Stakes, British Open Show Jumping Championships (Marius Claudius)
1st Goteburg Trophy (Kalusha)
Leading Rider of the Show for the second consecutive year at Belfast International Horse Show 2004
Leading Rider of the Show, Geneva 2004
1st Prix du Leman, Geneva (Kalusha)
1st Prix Tribune, Geneva (Marius Claudius) |
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