A riding boot is a rider’s second skin. It is the trace of his steps. And Jerry Smit has taken many steps. Summing up as much as possible, he represented Italy in 3 editions of the Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup Finals; he was the winner of the Pulsar Triple Crown 2000 and participated in 5 European Championships.

A brilliant career shared with 6 exceptional trainers: Philippe Le Jeune, Thomas Fuchs, Henk Nooren, Hans Hoorn, Ludger Beerbaum, and Franke Sloothaak. Jerry Smit’s recognition goes to Silvana Lucchini and Luciano Dada: “They supported me for a long time, allowing me to pursue this career.”

There have been many horses with which he has written the top Italian sports chronicle. However, the boots has always been the same: Parlanti.

Let’s retrace the stages of a life together with Jerry and his beloved horses…

Governor, the first Olympic Games

“The coach was Graziano Mancinelli. And I was a 21-year-old rider on an extraordinary 9-year-old horse. Mancinelli had the courage to bet on me, channeling me into a training path of Nations Cups that led me to the Barcelona ’92 Olympics. It’s hard to describe the bouquet of emotions you feel: being part of the Olympic movement, representing your country, at 21 years old, together with the top of the top of equestrians, it is something you cannot really describe. I still have a vivid memory of that experience, a 17th place achieved thanks to the support of Philippe Le Jeune. I was immediately aware that I needed to treat it like a stage of the journey, that remaining hooked on this achievement would have prevented me from improving my sports performance and, at the same time, I would have accepted the potential irrepeatability of the feat.”

Falco Z, the first World Championship

“1994. World Championships in The Hague. The horse was in splendid shape, but I couldn’t handle the pressure, and it didn’t go well. But I had the strength to seek help from a sports psychologist. Unlike today, it almost seemed scandalous back then, but I didn’t care about other people’s opinions. I had realized that the problem was in my head, and I started, without excuses and with my head down, my psychological journey. It’s harder to control stress than to learn to ride a horse.”

Constantin: the best of the Olympics, the most exciting of the World Championships

“Atlanta ’96 saw a more mature Jerry Smit entering the ring. I faced the challenge with a different approach. It was this Olympics that gave me the most satisfaction: my 19th individual place was obtained with more awareness than the 17th in Atlanta.”

Two years later, at the Flaminio Stadium, WEG Rome ’98. “Representing your country at a World Championship run in your home country has a different flavor, that of belonging to a top movement from a sports and organizational point of view. Entering the field in front of the home audience is the dream of all athletes. To cut a long story short, data in hand, we didn’t make the podium, but we did fight”.

Lux Z: Sydney with Gianni Govoni

“According to media projections, with the 13th place at the Hickstead Europeans (1999) and my 6th place in the updated world ranking ahead of the Olympics, I was expected to get on the podium in Sydney 2000. Something went wrong instead. For this kind of top class achievement horse and rider must perform at 100%, and it didn’t happen. The horse did not perform as it was capable of, and I took responsibility for it. It can happen. Most of my memories of Sydney are associated with Gianni Govoni (also an ambassador for Parlanti). After all, I have a collection of memories with him. We shared many challenges and years of planning. At the Olympics, we participated as individuals, so more than a team, we were a duo. The Olympic challenge was unforgettable, as was the previous path we had taken to individually qualify by earning our place among the best riders in Europe on the world computer list.”

Jamiro, on the highest step of the podium of the Samsung Nations Cup

“Jamiro had immense quality, more than all the others, but he had a difficult character. You had to get him on your side and I had to remember never to take his collaboration for granted. He always had the last word: if he didn’t like an obstacle, there was no way to convince him. Genius and recklessness! Together we were placed in a large number of CSIO Grand Prixs, we posted a double clear in the Nations Cup in Aachen (2nd place of the Italian team) and we gained victory in the 2002 Samsung Nations Cup final (Donaueschingen). A historic success shared with Gianni Govoni and Bruno and Vincenzo Chimirri. The team result has a different meaning from the individual one because it reflects the engagement of an entire national movement. And we, after so much waiting and defeat, were happy to have scored another starting point towards future goals.”

Nadir of San Patrignano, European Championships at home

“Nadir means San Patrignano, and anyone with a bit of equestrian memory cannot fail to mention SanPatringnano with some beautiful memories, under the name of Vincenzo Muccioli first and his sons Giacomo and Andrea later. Nadir’s name will always be associated with the 2005 Europeans at home in Italy. I entered the field, at San Patrignano, with a horse raised at San Patrignano. I don’t think any other words are needed to understand how emotional it was. It wasn’t a flourishing period for Italian equestrianism, so when our team placed 4th it wasn’t a defeat but an achievement.”

Parlanti: forever

When there is a transformation, there is no mourning. Jerry Smit has not stepped away from the competition fields; he has only focused on behind-the-scenes work and, after launching top-level show jumping in the “Middle Country” as co-manager of the Longines China Tour, he currently resides in France directing or coordinating various equestrian activities (sporting and organizational) under Sadri Fegaier (Harras de Grillon, Hubside Jumping, CO de Valance, and St. Tropez).

“It is not excluded that I will return to compete. What is certain is that I like what I am doing now, and I put a lot of passion into it. One thing will always remain unchanged: my relationship with Parlanti. Daniele is number 1 in the world, and – emphasizes Smit – no one has ever been able to match him. I have worn all his models, experiencing his continious and unstoppable evolution, the boot with no zip to KK boots. I thank him for this and for putting his talent at the service of this sport”.