Swiss rider Steve Guerdat is one of the world’s most successful showjumpers, having been crowned Olympic champion at the 2012 Games in London. He has been selected as part of Switzerland’s Olympic showjumping team for the Tokyo 2020 Games riding Venard De Cerisy.
Born in 1982, Steve began riding at the age of nine. His father, Philippe Guerdat is a former showjumper and the current chef d’equipe of the Brazillian showjumping team. Steve represented Switzerland on junior showjumping teams and won bronze at the 1997 European young rider championships.
His childhood heroes were basketball star Michael Jordan and British showjumper John Whitaker. “I’ve always been a sports fanatic, and Michael Jordan’s story is an inspiration,” he says. “Normally a superstar is really good over a short period of time, but with him you were never disappointed [each time he made a comeback]. It was like a lesson of life and sport, about not giving up, and as a kid he was someone I was crazy about. As a rider my hero has always been John Whitaker. I like him for much the same reasons. With John, everything is easy. I think he doesn’t even know what he’s achieving because he does everything so naturally. Horses respond to him and it’s just natural for him to ride and win in a very natural way with a completely natural attitude. That inspires me as a rider.”
Steve Guerdat stables
Nowadays, Steve Guerdat lives in Elgg, near Zurich, Switzerland, with his wife Fanny Skalli and their baby daughter Ella.
He is trained by Thomas Fuchs, who travels with him to tournaments, but in the early days, Steve received training from legendary Swiss rider Beat Mandli, who will be his team-mate in Tokyo on the three-man squad alongside Martin Fuchs. Between 2003 and 2005 Steve was based at the stables of the legendary Olympic gold medallist Jan Tops in Valkenswaard, Netherlands.
Steve has spent a significant amount of time as the world number one and has a phenomenal track record on the international circuit, winning many of the most prestigious titles in the sport, including the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final and he claimed his third World Cup Final in 2019, but it is at championships that he seems to excel. In 2017 he jumped a word record 10 clear rounds for Switzerland in Nations Cup team competitions. Steve is a Rolex testimonee.
Steve Guerdat’s magnificent championship record
Steve Guerdat’s top horses
Among Steve’s leading horses to have carried him to countless victories over the years have been Jalisca Solier, Nino Des Boissonnets, Corbinian, Victorio Des Frotards, Alamo, his Tokyo Olympic contender Venard de Cerisy and Bianca, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
Of the great Nino, Steve says: “What was so good about him is that when I wanted to be clear I was clear 95% of the time. We also had some bad rounds, but from the time I really figured him out we had very few fences down. I didn’t jump him a lot, but most of the time he was double clear in grands prix.”
Steve’s Olympic horse Venard De Cerisy is a 12-year-old gelding and one of his best performances came when winning the 2019 grand prix of St Gallen.
We dip into the archives to remember some of the legendary partnerships to have won multiple World Cup crowns in the competition’s 41-year history
‘The story of my life is more of a drama than a comedy’ — 60 seconds with Steve Guerdat
He’s trained two riders to become number one and two in the world — so what’s Thomas Fuchs’ secret?
‘At many shows these days they’re looking at what they have on their plate, doing business and at the prize-giving they’ll maybe ask, ‘Oh who won the class?’’
Crowds were treated to top class showjumping action in the Rolex Grand Prix on the final day of the show
While the rest of us slithered across icy yards and trudged through snow drifts last week, the riders on the MET Tour in Oliva Nova, Spain, were enjoying some downtime on the beach
From celebrity selfies to a one in a million grand prix result, the spectacular show had it all...
The pair finished on identical scores in the seriously competitive CSI5* grand prix — but that is just the start of this remarkable story
Nino is "without doubt one of the top horses in sporting history", says his rider
Showjumping fans will have the chance to say farewell to the showjumping superstar at one of the horse's favourite venues
Four horses were sent to the holding box at the inspection and one is being re-examined tomorrow morning
Steve Guerdat has spoken 'from the heart' against the FEI's proposals to change the Olympic format for showjumping
The defending champion proved unbeatable once again to retain the title he won last year in Las Vegas
H&H catches up with the rider who has put himself into contention to take the Rolex grand slam of showjumping
The Swiss rider has won the first leg of the grand slam
Olympic champion Steve Guerdat has called for a change in FEI rules following a contamination case in which two of his horses tested positive for banned drugs
Steve Guerdat has been cleared of all wrongdoing after two of his horses tested positive for banned substances earlier this year
Steve Guerdat and Nino Des Buissonnets will not be taking part in the FEI European Showjumping Championships as the horse remains suspended after a drugs test
A provisional suspension for banned substances found in the systems of two of Steve's horses has been lifted by the FEI
