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Jerry Smit
Jerry Smit is a showjumping rider from Italy with an impressive competition record with wins on a multitude of horses at events all around the world, he is best known for his partnership with Jerry Smit and Lux Z, below you can watch the Jerry Smit & Lux Z of them in action.
He`s got his feet firmly planted on the ground, but Italy`s Jerry Smit has the eye of a winner. He possesses a refreshing blend of modesty and reality as well as an unbridled passion for winning. That, together with his accomplishments especially in the past year, make Smit a major contender in the international showjumping arena.
Always in top form and ready to give his all, Jerry Smit is a man who carries the burden of his nation on his shoulders. Struggling to compete with the world`s most powerful nations, Italy has suffered some major blows recently including the death of Guido Dominici, one of Jerry`s most consistent and accomplished teammates. Yet, this does not dampen the efforts of Smit in putting Italy back on the charts as one of the most competitive nations in showjumping.
"Italy is actually a real strong nation because we have economic possibilities, talent and, actually, we have everything to make it good. I would be really honored and proud to win with my team in Calgary or in Hickstead. To have this, I know exactly how much work you have to do for it. But the Italians at the moment are in a bit of confusion," he said. "Not just the riders, but also the federation and the organization. They still don`t know how to build up a success. Because, in fact, there`s not many professionals like there are in, for example, Germany and Holland or France, taking care of the sport. And this is not only a matter of riding, but this is also a matter of organization. Really, to be a good nation, we should be very professional and forward in organizing things. If you make some intelligent programs or decisions, the riders will also profit. In our country what`s missing is a real strong leader. And that makes the whole country weak."
"Sometimes Italy is just a bit amateuristic, I think," he continued. "They have good proposals but still there`s a real horseman missing at the top. It`s like a house is built and there is one thing--the foundation--that holds it all together. And that foundation in Italy is not strong enough."
While Smit was honored to be a member of the Italian team, he knew that he had to go where the opportunities were and five years ago headed to Holland to train with one of the very best in the business, former Dutch chef d`equipe Hans Horn. "I knew I had to be more professional and I couldn`t see that happening in Italy," he said. "I went to Hans Horn and from there I learned to be a professional and that seemed to be quite a good move. We have a really good working relationship. We really train hard and try to grow up the stables and build the horses up to the Grand Prix level."
Quite a good move it was and, although it came at a time when Smit was experiencing increasing success on his own, Horn gave Jerry a jump-start into the arena where he is now a major contender among the top riders in the world.
Born in Milan, Italy, Jerry took an interest in horses at a young age, riding his family`s ponies. Not always good ponies, he admits, though this gave him a base to build on. By the age of 15, he started showing in national competitions and trained with Italian international Roberto Arioldi. In school, Smit studied in both Italy and Holland concentrating on language and technical arts including graphics and computers, "Which didn`t interest me so much," he admits.
At 17 came his first good offer of sponsorship. "At that time I had to decide to do this as a job or continue with my studies," he said. "I decided to make work out of my hobby so I started off with Roby Foulard. He gave me horses and sponsored me."
In 1988 Smit won a silver medal in the European Young Riders Championships. The following year he made his international debut and was 10th individually and eighth with the team on Roby Foulard`s Manor Reef at the 1990 European Young Riders Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. Smit was the Best Italian Rider in the European Young Rider Championships in 1991 and at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Smit was named Best Italian Rider with Roby Foulard`s Governor. He finished 17th individually in his first Olympic experience. That year, he rode in his first Nations` Cup for Italy.
Following the Barcelona Olympics, Smit started riding Silvana Lucchini`s horses. The partnership has lasted seven years and Lucchini has allowed Jerry to take over the reins of some very special horses including Loro Piana Constantijn and, more recently, Loro Piana Lux Z. "She had Constantijn as a young horse and Falco and a few really good young horses we developed together. Right away we got some really good results like in Aachen and many other Grands Prix."
In 1994 Smit took part in the Volvo World Cup Final and was a member of the Italian team that won the Nations` Cup in Barcelona. He also competed in the World Championships and won a silver medal at the Assoluti in La Bagnaia. In 1996 he won the Italian Championship title and took part in the Atlanta Olympics on Loro Piana Constantijn where once again he was the Best Italian Rider in the individual event.
Jerry Smit finished second on the six-year-old Loro Piana Icamorka at the Young Horses World Championships and third in both the Rome Grand Prix at Piazza di Siena in 1997 and the Grand Prix at the Pavarotti International. He won the Nations` Cup with the Italian team at CSIO Linz and finished second with the team in Rome and in the Grand Prix of La Bagnaia on Loro Piana Falco Z.
On the Dutch Warmblood gelding Loro Piana Constantijn, recently retired in Rotterdam at the age of 16, Smit finished sixth in the 1998 Aachen Grand Prix with a double clear round and a clean jump-off effort. The pair were on the Italian team at the Samsung Nations` Cup World Final in Donaueschignen where they finished fifth. They finished seventh in the Dortmund World Cup qualifier. This year the pair were third in the Grand Premio Roma. Under the tutelage of Horn, Smit now commands an arsenal of horses that are sure to be strong contenders on the circuit. Loro Piana Lux Z, currently Jerry`s leading mount, has already proven himself at the highest levels. On the 11-year-old Hanoverian stallion, Smit placed second in the Verona Grand Prix. He was part of the winning team in the Nations` Cup in Hickstead and finished fourth in the coveted Spruce Meadows du Maurier, the richest event in the world. But the highest achievement of Smit`s career came last summer when Loro Piana Lux Z carried him to the winner`s circle in the Pulsar Grand Prix of Valkenswaard, leaving the door open for a triple-cycle bonus during the upcoming Pulsar Grand Prix of Monterrey and next year`s Pulsar Grand Prix of Aachen.
Loro Piana Secret Love, an eight-year-old Irish mare, has been getting good international results and went clear every day in Hickstead this year. On nine-year-old Loro Piana Cassandro, Smit placed 10th in the Rotterdam Grand Prix (Cassandro`s first big Grand Prix) and 10th in Aarhus, Denmark. Loro Piana Jamiro will be a good horse but is a bit more difficult and will take more time, says Jerry.
Although he spends an enormous amount of time on the road, Smit knows that his future depends also on the young horses at home and enjoys the times it takes to bring them up to international levels. "I enjoy working with young horses a lot and actually, I think it`s really important that you ride the young horses," said Smit. "Not only for the horse but for the rider himself."
In a sport where the horse`s welfare always comes first, many riders have stepped forward to address the FEI/Samsung proposition to initiate a three-rider, no drop score rule for the Nations` Cup series. "Sometimes they think that the riders are just an option, that the sport can go on without us," Smit said. "I think we should decide that the sponsors should not make the rules in our sport because in a few years they are not going to be there and we will keep going, making sport and sensation."
"We try to do everything together so that everyone is happy but they should also look at things our way, not only their way. Three riders in the Nations` Cup is not going to be a good solution. We tried already 10 years ago in Barcelona at the Olympic Games with three riders and what an unsuccess that was. So why come back to an unsuccess?"
"Samsung, sponsors of the Nations` Cup series, claim that television coverage would be jeopardized under the current structure of the competition because the public cannot follow the long event. "We live in a country where we have computers and everything is more sophisticated so I don`t think in a sport like ours everything is so difficult to understand," says Smit. "I think with three riders you destroy the sport. But now we are trying a system instead of making a jump-off, we will try to promote the second round based on time. You also have to consider that we have to defend our horses. Because when you have a Nations` Cup on Saturday and they can also jump off, and the day after you have the du Maurier, people that have only one Grand Prix horse make for their horses quite a hard time. You have to do everything in respect of the horses."
To young riders who turn to him for advice, Smit always encourages respect for the horse. "Above all respect your horse. Never give up," he said. "Even if you have bad results. If you really believe in what you are doing, you should just go on and sooner or later it will happen. You should be a good manager and try to find the best possible sponsors you can. It`s not only sitting on a horse and training. It`s also trying to use your brains, having public relations skills and respecting the sponsors." "Don`t only think of yourself because in the end it will pay back in a big way. It is important to make yourself a good image--not only on the horse, but also off the horse."
Though Smit is becoming a hero in his own right to other young riders, he admits to having a few heroes of his own. "When I was 13 or 14 years old, John and Michael (Whitaker) or Nick (Skelton) were dreams to me. And Paul Schockemohle. They were real heroes," he said. "Now I watch what Rodrigo (Pessoa) is doing, what Ludger (Beerbaum) is doing, Franke Sloothaak, and what some of the French are doing...Jos (Lansink)...Jeroen (Dubbeldam). These are all good guys and they are really top jockeys. You can really learn a lot from them."
What makes a winner? Smit says you must have a good balance in life and the ability to handle pressure. He should know. He thrives off pressure and is intensely focused, both in and out of the arena.
"If I could not handle pressure, I would not do the sport because I am under pressure every day. You just have to live with it," he said. "Actually, I love pressure. It`s a question of how to put everything away when you enter the ring."
"To be successful you must be really strong in your head," he says, "and you should be balanced in your life when there are bad moments and you should be balanced when there are good moments. I follow my own way and I try to to the best I can do."
It`s not only talent that makes a winner, according to Jerry Smit. "You have to be born with a little talent. But I don`t think talent is enough. I think the most important thing is the character of the person. It`s the same with horses. If they want to learn, they can learn a lot. Logical people who have a natural instinct or a natural talent have it easier to be a superstar than somebody that has a little less talent but maybe who`s a good fighter and has a good clever brain. It`s been proven a lot more times that some talented riders just get lost along the way because maybe they don`t fight enough or they aren`t really serious enough on the job. And they don`t win. Then you have other riders that maybe don`t have much talent but keep on going and believing in what they are doing with an intelligent mind."
Because a rider`s career is based both economically and statistically on winning, it is not always easy for an athlete who competes each and every weekend for prize money to stay balanced in life. While Smit agrees that winning is important, he also feels life must be balanced to maintain perspective.
"For sure winning is the most important thing for a rider`s job," he said. "But that doesn`t mean it`s the most important thing in life. There`s also another part of life--your family and private life--that keeps you balanced. I think the most important thing is to find the right balance in life. You can`t live only off work. You have to be able to put your mind somewhere else."
Is it worth it? "So far, I`m really happy in what I`ve chosen," he admitted. "I look forward to having as much success as I can have. At the moment I have really good stables and I have a really good sponsor in Loro Piana. For me personally, things are going well."
"I think every day you should ask from your life what you want," he continued. "You`re risking your life every day. You have one life and you just have to use it the best you can."
Once no longer competing inside the show arena, Smit admits his life will still be centered around horses. "I will always try to ride as much as I can because I really enjoy riding," he said. "For sure I am going to deal and I`ll do a lot of other stuff, but always with horses. Maybe I`ll organize some shows and try to do something good for the sport even if I am not riding. Maybe being a chef d`equipe would be a good idea. It would be nice to do something good for my nation."
While Smit refuses to consider there might someday be a life outside of the arena, if forced to give it all up, he admits it would not be a problem. "If you are a little open minded, I think you can find other things to do, other goals," he said. "It`s hard because, my life is so far based only on horses as a job so it would take a little bit of thinking. But so far, I hope I can ride as long as possible."
Below you can watch a video of Jerry Smit in action on the Global champions tour in China riding Moonstar
Jerry Smit & Gitana III - Olympia Horse Show
He`s got his feet firmly planted on the ground, but Italy`s Jerry Smit has the eye of a winner. He possesses a refreshing blend of modesty and reality as well as an unbridled passion for winning. That, together with his accomplishments especially in the past year, make Smit a major contender in the international showjumping arena.
Always in top form and ready to give his all, Jerry Smit is a man who carries the burden of his nation on his shoulders. Struggling to compete with the world`s most powerful nations, Italy has suffered some major blows recently including the death of Guido Dominici, one of Jerry`s most consistent and accomplished teammates. Yet, this does not dampen the efforts of Smit in putting Italy back on the charts as one of the most competitive nations in showjumping.
"Italy is actually a real strong nation because we have economic possibilities, talent and, actually, we have everything to make it good. I would be really honored and proud to win with my team in Calgary or in Hickstead. To have this, I know exactly how much work you have to do for it. But the Italians at the moment are in a bit of confusion," he said. "Not just the riders, but also the federation and the organization. They still don`t know how to build up a success. Because, in fact, there`s not many professionals like there are in, for example, Germany and Holland or France, taking care of the sport. And this is not only a matter of riding, but this is also a matter of organization. Really, to be a good nation, we should be very professional and forward in organizing things. If you make some intelligent programs or decisions, the riders will also profit. In our country what`s missing is a real strong leader. And that makes the whole country weak."
While Smit was honored to be a member of the Italian team, he knew that he had to go where the opportunities were and five years ago headed to Holland to train with one of the very best in the business, former Dutch chef d`equipe Hans Horn. "I knew I had to be more professional and I couldn`t see that happening in Italy," he said. "I went to Hans Horn and from there I learned to be a professional and that seemed to be quite a good move. We have a really good working relationship. We really train hard and try to grow up the stables and build the horses up to the Grand Prix level."
Quite a good move it was and, although it came at a time when Smit was experiencing increasing success on his own, Horn gave Jerry a jump-start into the arena where he is now a major contender among the top riders in the world.
Born in Milan, Italy, Jerry took an interest in horses at a young age, riding his family`s ponies. Not always good ponies, he admits, though this gave him a base to build on. By the age of 15, he started showing in national competitions and trained with Italian international Roberto Arioldi. In school, Smit studied in both Italy and Holland concentrating on language and technical arts including graphics and computers, "Which didn`t interest me so much," he admits.
At 17 came his first good offer of sponsorship. "At that time I had to decide to do this as a job or continue with my studies," he said. "I decided to make work out of my hobby so I started off with Roby Foulard. He gave me horses and sponsored me."
In 1988 Smit won a silver medal in the European Young Riders Championships. The following year he made his international debut and was 10th individually and eighth with the team on Roby Foulard`s Manor Reef at the 1990 European Young Riders Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. Smit was the Best Italian Rider in the European Young Rider Championships in 1991 and at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Smit was named Best Italian Rider with Roby Foulard`s Governor. He finished 17th individually in his first Olympic experience. That year, he rode in his first Nations` Cup for Italy.
Following the Barcelona Olympics, Smit started riding Silvana Lucchini`s horses. The partnership has lasted seven years and Lucchini has allowed Jerry to take over the reins of some very special horses including Loro Piana Constantijn and, more recently, Loro Piana Lux Z. "She had Constantijn as a young horse and Falco and a few really good young horses we developed together. Right away we got some really good results like in Aachen and many other Grands Prix."
In 1994 Smit took part in the Volvo World Cup Final and was a member of the Italian team that won the Nations` Cup in Barcelona. He also competed in the World Championships and won a silver medal at the Assoluti in La Bagnaia. In 1996 he won the Italian Championship title and took part in the Atlanta Olympics on Loro Piana Constantijn where once again he was the Best Italian Rider in the individual event.
Jerry Smit finished second on the six-year-old Loro Piana Icamorka at the Young Horses World Championships and third in both the Rome Grand Prix at Piazza di Siena in 1997 and the Grand Prix at the Pavarotti International. He won the Nations` Cup with the Italian team at CSIO Linz and finished second with the team in Rome and in the Grand Prix of La Bagnaia on Loro Piana Falco Z.
On the Dutch Warmblood gelding Loro Piana Constantijn, recently retired in Rotterdam at the age of 16, Smit finished sixth in the 1998 Aachen Grand Prix with a double clear round and a clean jump-off effort. The pair were on the Italian team at the Samsung Nations` Cup World Final in Donaueschignen where they finished fifth. They finished seventh in the Dortmund World Cup qualifier. This year the pair were third in the Grand Premio Roma. Under the tutelage of Horn, Smit now commands an arsenal of horses that are sure to be strong contenders on the circuit. Loro Piana Lux Z, currently Jerry`s leading mount, has already proven himself at the highest levels. On the 11-year-old Hanoverian stallion, Smit placed second in the Verona Grand Prix. He was part of the winning team in the Nations` Cup in Hickstead and finished fourth in the coveted Spruce Meadows du Maurier, the richest event in the world. But the highest achievement of Smit`s career came last summer when Loro Piana Lux Z carried him to the winner`s circle in the Pulsar Grand Prix of Valkenswaard, leaving the door open for a triple-cycle bonus during the upcoming Pulsar Grand Prix of Monterrey and next year`s Pulsar Grand Prix of Aachen.
Loro Piana Secret Love, an eight-year-old Irish mare, has been getting good international results and went clear every day in Hickstead this year. On nine-year-old Loro Piana Cassandro, Smit placed 10th in the Rotterdam Grand Prix (Cassandro`s first big Grand Prix) and 10th in Aarhus, Denmark. Loro Piana Jamiro will be a good horse but is a bit more difficult and will take more time, says Jerry.
Although he spends an enormous amount of time on the road, Smit knows that his future depends also on the young horses at home and enjoys the times it takes to bring them up to international levels. "I enjoy working with young horses a lot and actually, I think it`s really important that you ride the young horses," said Smit. "Not only for the horse but for the rider himself."
In a sport where the horse`s welfare always comes first, many riders have stepped forward to address the FEI/Samsung proposition to initiate a three-rider, no drop score rule for the Nations` Cup series. "Sometimes they think that the riders are just an option, that the sport can go on without us," Smit said. "I think we should decide that the sponsors should not make the rules in our sport because in a few years they are not going to be there and we will keep going, making sport and sensation."
"We try to do everything together so that everyone is happy but they should also look at things our way, not only their way. Three riders in the Nations` Cup is not going to be a good solution. We tried already 10 years ago in Barcelona at the Olympic Games with three riders and what an unsuccess that was. So why come back to an unsuccess?"
"Samsung, sponsors of the Nations` Cup series, claim that television coverage would be jeopardized under the current structure of the competition because the public cannot follow the long event. "We live in a country where we have computers and everything is more sophisticated so I don`t think in a sport like ours everything is so difficult to understand," says Smit. "I think with three riders you destroy the sport. But now we are trying a system instead of making a jump-off, we will try to promote the second round based on time. You also have to consider that we have to defend our horses. Because when you have a Nations` Cup on Saturday and they can also jump off, and the day after you have the du Maurier, people that have only one Grand Prix horse make for their horses quite a hard time. You have to do everything in respect of the horses."
To young riders who turn to him for advice, Smit always encourages respect for the horse. "Above all respect your horse. Never give up," he said. "Even if you have bad results. If you really believe in what you are doing, you should just go on and sooner or later it will happen. You should be a good manager and try to find the best possible sponsors you can. It`s not only sitting on a horse and training. It`s also trying to use your brains, having public relations skills and respecting the sponsors." "Don`t only think of yourself because in the end it will pay back in a big way. It is important to make yourself a good image--not only on the horse, but also off the horse."
Though Smit is becoming a hero in his own right to other young riders, he admits to having a few heroes of his own. "When I was 13 or 14 years old, John and Michael (Whitaker) or Nick (Skelton) were dreams to me. And Paul Schockemohle. They were real heroes," he said. "Now I watch what Rodrigo (Pessoa) is doing, what Ludger (Beerbaum) is doing, Franke Sloothaak, and what some of the French are doing...Jos (Lansink)...Jeroen (Dubbeldam). These are all good guys and they are really top jockeys. You can really learn a lot from them."
What makes a winner? Smit says you must have a good balance in life and the ability to handle pressure. He should know. He thrives off pressure and is intensely focused, both in and out of the arena.
"If I could not handle pressure, I would not do the sport because I am under pressure every day. You just have to live with it," he said. "Actually, I love pressure. It`s a question of how to put everything away when you enter the ring."
"To be successful you must be really strong in your head," he says, "and you should be balanced in your life when there are bad moments and you should be balanced when there are good moments. I follow my own way and I try to to the best I can do."
It`s not only talent that makes a winner, according to Jerry Smit. "You have to be born with a little talent. But I don`t think talent is enough. I think the most important thing is the character of the person. It`s the same with horses. If they want to learn, they can learn a lot. Logical people who have a natural instinct or a natural talent have it easier to be a superstar than somebody that has a little less talent but maybe who`s a good fighter and has a good clever brain. It`s been proven a lot more times that some talented riders just get lost along the way because maybe they don`t fight enough or they aren`t really serious enough on the job. And they don`t win. Then you have other riders that maybe don`t have much talent but keep on going and believing in what they are doing with an intelligent mind."
Because a rider`s career is based both economically and statistically on winning, it is not always easy for an athlete who competes each and every weekend for prize money to stay balanced in life. While Smit agrees that winning is important, he also feels life must be balanced to maintain perspective.
"For sure winning is the most important thing for a rider`s job," he said. "But that doesn`t mean it`s the most important thing in life. There`s also another part of life--your family and private life--that keeps you balanced. I think the most important thing is to find the right balance in life. You can`t live only off work. You have to be able to put your mind somewhere else."
Is it worth it? "So far, I`m really happy in what I`ve chosen," he admitted. "I look forward to having as much success as I can have. At the moment I have really good stables and I have a really good sponsor in Loro Piana. For me personally, things are going well."
"I think every day you should ask from your life what you want," he continued. "You`re risking your life every day. You have one life and you just have to use it the best you can."
Once no longer competing inside the show arena, Smit admits his life will still be centered around horses. "I will always try to ride as much as I can because I really enjoy riding," he said. "For sure I am going to deal and I`ll do a lot of other stuff, but always with horses. Maybe I`ll organize some shows and try to do something good for the sport even if I am not riding. Maybe being a chef d`equipe would be a good idea. It would be nice to do something good for my nation."
While Smit refuses to consider there might someday be a life outside of the arena, if forced to give it all up, he admits it would not be a problem. "If you are a little open minded, I think you can find other things to do, other goals," he said. "It`s hard because, my life is so far based only on horses as a job so it would take a little bit of thinking. But so far, I hope I can ride as long as possible."
Below you can watch a video of Jerry Smit in action on the Global champions tour in China riding Moonstar
