Smith and Picobello carry Swiss hopes into World Championships

Swiss showjumper Jason Smith and his 11-year-old stallion Picobello will make their World Championship debut for Switzerland in Aachen next week, SRF reported. The pair hope to help the Swiss team win a medal.

Smith said qualifying for the Olympics was their first target. Switzerland will need to finish among the top seven to achieve that, he said, adding that he hoped for more from a team with strong riders and horses.

Picobello has become central to those ambitions. Smith, who has ridden the stallion for three years, said he had worked with horses with great potential before but never one like Picobello.

The pair secured an important result in June when Switzerland won the Nations Cup at the CSIO in St Gallen. Smith and Picobello completed both rounds without faults, helping lay the foundation for the team victory.

Smith said Picobello was made for major competitions. “The more pressure and the bigger the stage, the more he comes into his own,” he said, describing the stallion’s mental strength as his greatest quality alongside his athleticism.

Smith was born in Scotland and moved to Switzerland 18 years ago. He previously worked on a farm in Germany before choosing horses as his profession. In 2008, he joined the stable of showjumper Pius Schwizer, from whom he said he learned a great deal.

At 35, Smith said he was more composed and patient than when he was younger and eager to achieve success quickly. Patience was crucial when working with horses, he said, because it could bring better results than trying to move forward too quickly.

Smith became a Swiss citizen in 2023. That year, he and his sponsors began looking for a horse capable of competing at the biggest events. Through his relationship with Picobello’s previous owner, SRF showjumping expert Daniel Etter, they were able to bring the stallion to Smith’s stable in Schlierbach, in the canton of Lucerne.

Smith’s sponsors bought Picobello. He said he could not afford such a horse himself and was proud to ride him. He declined to disclose the stallion’s value, but said people from around the world wanted to buy him. Offers for horses of this kind could reach double-digit millions, according to Smith.

Picobello’s owners have decided that the stallion is intended for sport and is not for sale. His first major appearance at the World Championships will come on Wednesday, August 19, when Smith and Picobello compete before tens of thousands of spectators.