The British Team comprising Robert Smith, Nick Skelton, Ben Maher and Peter Charles shared 5^th  place with The Netherlands, at the Meydan FEI Nations Cup in St Gallen, Switzerland (5 June 2009).

Robert was riding the super-talented Vangelis S, the stallion he owns jointly with Sharon Baldwin of Meadow Stud, and although he lowered two poles in the first round, in the second he produced a perfect clear, along with Ben Maher on Robin Hood W.

The British team finished on a score of 12 in a competition that was won by the USA, with Germany in 2^nd and Switzerland and Belgium sharing =3^rd

Mr Michael Dawson’s outstanding mare was once again in winning form, this time at the CSI5* event in Madrid (21-24 May).  Columbia, ridden by Robert Smith, went clear in 58.21secs in Saturday’s international class to take the winning honours ahead of Spain’s Manuel Anon on Loreal D’Utah and Britain’s Ellen Whitaker on Kanselier.

Meanwhile Vangelis S finished a credible 5^th in the big feature Grand Prix on Sunday.

One of Robert’s newest rides proved his exciting potential for the future when he came a close second in the Land Rover open at The Royal Windsor Horse Show (16 May).

Having gone clear in round one, the talented grey gelding, Baldourado, turned on the speed to deliver an impressive double clear and was only narrowly defeated by Tim Stockdale on Kalico Bay.

Radio 1 DJ and television presenter Sara Cox, joins British Show Jumping in an Ambassador role to raise public awareness of the sport and the talent within it in the lead up to 2012.

As one of the celebrity riders that took part in the Sport Relief ‘Only Fools and Horses’ programme televised on BBC1 (on which Robert Smith was a judge!) Sara’s passion for riding and show jumping was clearly evident. “I’ve ridden since I was young but the opportunities to fit it in around my work became less and less frequent. Taking part in Only Fools and Horses made me realize how much I missed it and has really rekindled my love for the sport,” said Sara.

“We welcome Sara’s public support of British Show Jumping and we look forward to having her alongside us cheering the British Team to success at some of the events during the forthcoming season.    Sara was a superb advocate for British Show Jumping throughout her participation in Only Fools and Horses and we are thrilled that she has chosen to continue showing her support by aligning with us in this way” commented Maria Clayton from British Show Jumping.

www.bsja.co.uk

In a gallant bid to regain the British Open title that had been his in 2005 and 2006, Robert Smith put in a thrilling performance on the classy stallion Vangelis S on the fourth and final day of the British Open Show Jumping Championships (16-19 April 2009).

It was a close call and due to the format of the four-stage competition, saw riders’ championship placings change radically over the four days.  Once again, Robert and his team of horses showed consistency, including an earlier third place that day in the British Speed Stakes on Columbia.

Despite a clear round in the final Championship phase, it was not quite enough to reclaim the title and Robert had to be content with third place. A very satisfactory result nonetheless.

Elevator Bridles competition winner, Zoe Dykes and her friend Julia, were treated to a day at the British Open Show Jumping Championships and the opportunity to go behind the scenes to meet Robert and his horses.  Zoe was also presented with an Elevator performance bridle and an Elevator rug as part of her prize win.

“Thank you so much to Elevator, Robert and his team for providing such a great day out for myself and Julia,” said Zoe. “As showjumping fans, we both had a fantastic day.  Most of all, we were both very grateful to Robert for taking the time out of his obviously busy day to speak to us and give us the opportunity to meet his beautiful team of horses.  It truly was a wonderful prize.”

Robert has been using Elevator Bridles on his horses for many years now and the results speak for themselves.  For more information on the Elevator performance bridle and other Elevator products, visit www.elevator.gg