Fifty-five years on, we are still talking about Harvey Smith’s V-sign during the 1971 Hickstead Derby at the All England Jumping Course.

For those who would benefit from a reminder of what happened, here’s an extract from the H&H report, published 20 August 1971, by Pamela Macgregor-Morris.

“There have only been a dozen clear rounds in the history of the competition, and this time there was none,” Pamela writes.

“First outstanding round was jumped by Stephen Hadley on Prospero, who came down the bank so fast that he had no chance at the post and rails at its foot and had a time-fault as well as three for a stop. But this held the lead until the last but one to jump, the defending champions, Harvey Smith and Mattie Brown, drew level to dispute the lead.

“Mattie Brown went on to win the barrage with eight faults to 12, and third place was shared by four eight-faulters.

“Harvey Smith was presented by Mr John Wilson, managing director of WD & HO Wills, with the golden horse (arrived from Yorkshire the previous day), and to all intents and purposes he and Mattie Brown had joined the other dual winners, Seamus Hayes with Goodbye and Nelson Pessoa with Gran Geste, in the British Derby’s annals.”

But this glorious double had a twist.

A box on the report adds: “Some hours after Harvey Smith had received the Wills Jumping Derby Trophy last Sunday, Mr Douglas Bunn, owner of Hickstead, sent him a telegram saying that ‘because of your disgusting gesture the directors and I have disqualified you’ and telling him that all prize money was forfeited.

“The ‘gesture’ referred to – a two-fingered one – was delivered, apparently towards the directors’ box, after Harvey had completed his winning round on Mattie Brown.

“The incident has now been referred to the stewards of the British Show Jumping Association (BSJA).”

The V-sign story, according to Harvey Smith

In 2022, Harvey shared his side of the story in a video interview with the Hickstead team.

He relates how, on returning to Hickstead the year after his 1970 Derby win on Mattie Brown, Douglas Bunn asked him if he’d brought back the trophy.

He hadn’t (although the H&H report implies that the trophy was recuperated from Yorkshire in time) but retorted: “It doesn’t matter, I’m going to win it again!”

There followed, according to Harvey, a good deal of negative banter about the wellbeing of his horse. When he knocked a fence down in the first round, he remembers huge cheers from the directors’ box. It clearly riled him.

“I thought, you bas***ds!”

When he ultimately did recapture the title, he stuck two fingers up at the directors.

“It’s life, it happened, it’s what live television is all about – life,” he says. “It’s the best publicity stunt that Hickstead has ever had.”

Reactions to the V-sign

While the tabloids lapped it up, the equestrian press weren’t so sure. Horse & Hound distanced themselves from the confusing situation of the disqualification, putting the Derby Trial winners Ann Moore and Psalm on the cover that week, rather than the more traditional British Derby winner.

Dorian Williams – under the pen name “Observer” – wrote: “Though the commercially minded may well avow that any publicity is good publicity, I cannot help feeling that showjumping in general would have been better off without the spotlight glare attracted by last Sunday’s events at Hickstead.

“I cannot recall any incident in the history of the sport that has drawn so much public attention to it, in the National Press and on TV, as the dispute between Harvey Smith and the directors of Hickstead. And with all the discussion and arguments on the subject, only one thing seems to be certain: at 5.15pm last Sunday afternoon Harvey won the Jumping Derby on Mattie Brown without any shadow of doubt. For that I say, “Well done, Harvey!”

“For the rest, the ‘incident’ of the two-finger exercise is being referred to the stewards of the BSJA, who will shortly hear evidence from all parties concerned and any other witnesses. I doubt whether the stewards will consider it within their province to adjudicate on the destiny of the Derby prize money of £2,000.”

H&H also published a lawyer’s opinion on whether the disqualification should stand. The lawyer concluded that the rules of the competition did not apply to any “conduct of objectionable nature” that happened after Harvey had produced a winning round – because it did not relate to his “manner of riding while negotiating the course”.

As history relates, Harvey Smith and Mattie Brown were indeed reinstated after the infamous V-sign to confirm their second Derby victory. But when H&H went to press soon after Douglas Bunn’s telegram, the result was still in the balance.

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To celebrate this octogenarian’s outstanding contribution to equestrian sport over the years, we rifled through the picture archives to find

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There were more runners from Ireland than the north at Cheltenham’s November meeting but the Yorkshire stable of Sue and Harvey Smith claimed the first big handicap scalp of the season when it won the Paddy Power Gold Cup with Midnight Shadow on Saturday.

The eight-year-old, who already had some smart form at the course having won there twice previously, and Ryan Mania had just challenged for the lead but were left about eight lengths clear when long time leader and last year’s winner Coole Cody fell at the second last. However the journey home from there was far from comfortable watching for Sue Smith.

Midnight Shadow stumbled on landing over the last and then decided to idle up the run-in, making him a sitting target for the closing pack led by the 11/2 favourite Protektorat. All out, he hung on by three-quarters of a length and he will now attempt to follow in the footsteps of Bachelor’s Hall who, in 1977, won this off 10st 6lb and went on to win the King George VI Chase at Kempton.

“It’s out of this world, we only had one horse to bring down here and he’s always been a good horse – so he’s paid us back today,” said Sue Smith. “It was terrifying to watch! There aren’t many horses that could have done what he’s done at the last and I just thought ‘that’s it’ – but he picked himself up and kept going.

“It is special for everyone because we’re only a small yard and the northern yards don’t get to do this very often.

“I’ve got 45-50 at the yard but they’re not all Midnight Shadows! These are once in a lifetime horses, the same as Auroras Encore was, and that old boy is stood in a field looking very well now. Harvey bought Midnight Shadow at Doncaster Sales and he’s by Midnight Legend and he was bred by Mr Smith-Maxwell, who has the horse ambulance here.”

Ryan Mania retired for nearly five years after winning the 2013 Grand National for the Smiths on Auroras Encore to go and hunt a pack of hounds in Scotland but he has come back, if anything, better. 

“I’m sure it is emotional for most jockeys but it is especially emotional for me to have retired and come back and do all this for my family,” he said. “There are no plans to retire again, I’ve got a good 10 years in me yet.”

You can read the full report from Cheltenham’s November meeting in this week’s Horse & Hound, out Thursday 18 November.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

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Anyone of a certain vintage will have dreamed of beating the legendary Harvey Smith in a jump-off. But for one pony-mad nine-year-old that ambition became a reality.

In 1981, young Naomi Bedford from East Grinstead, West Sussex, wrote in to a popular children’s TV programme to ask if she and her 9hh Shetland pony Dormouse could jump round a proper showjumping course (“like we see on television”) – but with the bottom poles high enough for the diminutive pair to go underneath.

The BBC contacted the organisers of Olympia Horse Show and the great Raymond Brooks-Ward stepped in to make Naomi’s wish come true.

In December, Naomi and Dormouse were invited into London and on the Friday afternoon in between performances the pair went head-to-head with the great Harvey Smith riding his top horse Sanyo Technology for a highly entertaining jump-off in the main arena.

“It was just awesome,” Naomi tells H&H. “They had this amazing set of jumps that Harvey jumped over and I went underneath.

“I opened and went through a gate, then they had put a little door in a puissance wall which I went through — and shut behind me, as all good Pony Club girls are taught to do! Then Harvey and Sanyo Technology went round and jumped over them all.”

There were six fences in total – also including a four foot rail over an offset brush, which Dormouse deftly slalomed through while Naomi carefully ducked her head under the blue and white pole, to much laughter.

The distinctive voice of Raymond Brooks-Ward introduced the pair in the TV programme: “She’s only nine years old but she’s going to tackle the great Harvey Smith over showjumps in the big international arena. They’ve walked the course and now they’re under starters orders. Harvey’s horse is about six foot higher than Dormouse.”

After both riders had crossed the finish line, Naomi was declared the winner: “A day to remember for this wonderful girl when she competed against Harvey Smith,” concluded Raymond.

But one of the stand-out moments for Naomi came in the evening when they organised a presentation for her in front of all the crowds.

“I rode in on Dormouse next to Harvey and Sanyo Technology under the big spotlight and that was amazing,” says Naomi, who was presented with a trophy, rosettes and toys, as well as lots of memorabilia from Harvey himself, including this T-shirt (pictured below).

Naomi was also thrilled to go behind the scenes at this world famous horse show.

“I saw all the famous showjumpers wandering round the stables,” says Naomi. “They put us up in a nearby hotel where I remember getting in the lift holding Dormouse’s felt saddle and I had all these top riders looking at me!

“The most exciting thing though was having Father Christmas’s ponies stabled next to Dormouse, ready for the finale where he used to chuck sweets out to the crowds then exit at 100mph, scattering everyone in the collecting ring. Every time he saw me, Father Christmas stuffed my pockets full of sweets!”

However, the day hadn’t started quite so well for nine-year-old Naomi as the TV crew decided to open the programme with footage of Harvey and Naomi “arriving” at Olympia, so they filmed the two of them emerging from the legendary rider’s horsebox.

“It was one of these beautiful old fashioned wooden lorries and his horse just trotted out of it,” recalls Naomi. “But it wasn’t so easy for Dormouse – first of all, to get her in the horsebox, Harvey’s sons had to actually pick her up because she couldn’t get up the steep step. They then put one of Harvey’s rugs on little Dormouse and lifted me on to Dormouse and expected me to ride down the steep ramp.”

In the process, Naomi very elegantly slid all the way down Dormouse’s neck – luckily landing very gracefully on her feet at the bottom.

“Dormouse was just the most amazing pony and she took the whole day in her stride,” says Naomi, who rode the Shetland pony into the BBC studio a couple of months later to finish filming the programme.

Naomi’s adventure made it to the pages of Horse & Hound at the time – and of course the episode was broadcast to the nation in 1982.

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Sadly she didn’t follow her hero’s footsteps into the showjumping world, but carried on riding and later enjoyed eventing and hunting until suffering a brain injury in 2015.

“It was such an amazing day, but meeting Harvey Smith was a real highlight – he was such a good sport and so were his sons, Steven and Robert,” she says.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

In this week’s Horse & Hound (out today, 17 September) we take an epic trip down memory lane with the one and only Harvey Smith. He talks about the secret to his success — despite never having had a riding lesson in his life — his bargain horses and, of course, the famous V-sign. We also hear from David Broome, Graham Fletcher and John Whitaker, who share some (very amusing) anecdotes about the legendary rider.

To celebrate this octogenarian’s outstanding contribution to equestrian sport over the years, we rifled through the picture archives to find just a few of our favourite ‘Harvey moments’ — and remember many more of the good times, too.

1. Harvey won the Hickstead Derby four times — in 1970 and 1971 on Mattie Brown (pictured), then in 1974 on Salvador, before completing the four-timer in 1981 on Sanyo Video. His famous ‘V sign’ — directed towards the Hickstead judges — came in the 1971 event.

2. Harvey represented Great Britain at two Olympic Games — his debut came in 1968 when he and Madison Time (pictured) flew to Mexico. In 1972 he finished fourth in Munich riding Manhattan.

3. The colourful, often controversial, showjumper wasn’t just a fierce competitor in the show ring — at the height of his fame in the 1970s he took part in professional wrestling. He also released a pop song in 1975.

4. Since retiring from showjumping in 1990, Harvey and his wife Sue Smith — also a former showjumper — have been training National Hunt racehorses at Craiglands Farm, Bingley, West Yorkshire, sending out the 2013 Grand National winner Auroras Encore (pictured), with Ryan Mania in the saddle.

5. Harvey won six championship medals including European team silver in 1983 and 1977, individual bronze in 1963 and at the world championships in 1970 and claimed individual silver at the Europeans in 1967 and 1971.

6. It’s more than 60 years since Harvey Smith made his Nations Cup debut and in 1965 he and Harvester flew the flag for Great Britain.

7. He won more than 50 grands prix during his career – but little can beat the moment his winning mount Sanyo Technology tried to eat the turkey presented to Harvey by the Duchess of Kent.

8. Harvey Smith made his competition debut at Bingley agricultural show in 1947 and returned to his pony-riding roots when taking part in the Pony Club Games at Horse of the Year Show in 1978

9. He’s competed all over the world, in every type of showjumping competition, becoming the first man to have jumped in 100 World Cup qualifiers.

10. And finally… If ever there was a time to bring out this photographic gem, it’s now. Thank you Harvey!

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Outspoken and a phenomenal character, the talented Yorkshireman Harvey Smith remains one of showjumping’s biggest names, says Jennifer Donald

Ask any member of the public to name a showjumper and the first name to roll off the tongue is likely to be Harvey Smith. It is testament to the Yorkshireman’s brilliance in the saddle – as well as his antics out of it – that even 30 years after he left the sport, he remains one of the world’s most recognised equestrians.

For decades, this likeably controversial and straight-talking character held the nation in thrall, ascending the ranks of a traditionally stuffy, upper-class sport to reign in an era when showjumping was prime time viewing and the leading riders became household names.

Outspoken? Yes. Rebellious? Often. But Harvey Smith will always be remembered for the immense contribution he made to the sport, not only as the ultimate showman, but as an Olympian who represented his country with fierce patriotism and whose desire never to be beaten drove him to win more than 50 grands prix, four Hickstead Derby titles, six championship medals and a swathe of prestigious trophies.

So it’s almost incomprehensible that this astute horseman has never had a riding lesson in his life.

“I just learnt through common sense and natural ability I suppose,” says Harvey, who still lives a stone’s throw from where he grew up in West Yorkshire.

His parents Walter and Ethel ran the family construction business and Harvey briefly joined the industry, but he developed an early affinity with horses thanks to neighbouring farmer Jack Baker.

“I used to ride the local milk pony, whom he took to shows nearby,” he says. “I went down the farm every spare minute I had.”

Harvey was eight when he first remembers competing at Bingley Show, although the roots of his showjumping career weren’t established until he moved on to horses, inspired by watching classes at Todmorden Show in the early 1950s and thinking he could do better.

“I bought my first horse, Farmer’s Boy, in 1954 at auction in York and brought him down on the train,” recalls Harvey, who was 15 at the time and paid 40 guineas for the big, strong Irish gelding.

“He put me on the map. He began jumping clear rounds, then we started winning and it progressed from there.”

The rookie pair first grabbed attention when winning the championship at Southport Flower Show in 1956.

“Everybody was there and the class had about 80 horses in it,” says Harvey. “It was a huge event.”

The next step up the ladder was an appearance at the Royal International at White City in London. “I jumped the only clear round in the King’s Cup. Colonel Harry Llewellyn saw me ride and they put me on the Nations Cup team for Dublin in 1958,” remembers Harvey, who made his international debut against the might of the Americans and French. “We beat them hands down – it was a good start!”

Harvey had also caught the eye of David Broome, who would go on to become one of his greatest friends – as well as his closest competitor. Some of the best sporting eras develop from the fiercest rivalries, and during the illustrious time of David and Harvey they brought the sport into every living room, generating acres of media coverage.

“I first heard about Harvey on the television when he was jumping at White City in 1957 and Dorian Williams sang the song of the moment for him,” recalls David. “Harvey was a different person in those days – he was this quiet lad when I first met him!”

Leading showjumper Harvey Smith

Farmer’s Boy remained the stable star well into his teenage years, taking Harvey to his first big win when slamming more fancied rivals in the leading showjumper of the year at Wembley in 1959, the national championship at Blackpool, and he was the first horse Harvey rode round the Hickstead Derby at the inaugural running in 1961.

Harvey’s first impression of Douglas Bunn’s innovative track was that it “came naturally” to him and in 1970 he lifted the trophy for the first time, winning back-to-back titles with Mattie Brown, following up in 1974 with Salvador and adding a fourth title in 1981 on Sanyo Video, a catch ride from his son Robert. In over 25 years he only missed the 1972 Derby, suffering from kidney trouble.

Hickstead and Harvey will always be intrinsically linked, not least for the famous V-sign incident in 1971 where BBC cameras caught Harvey’s two-fingered salute towards the directors’ box as he crossed the finish as that year’s Derby winner.

“That was all part of life in those days and it was only blown up because Dougie Bunn used it as an advertising gimmick – I always got on well with him though,” says Harvey, who claimed he was copying Winston Churchill’s “V for Victory”.

The story made the front pages across the world, with The Sun running the splash: “That told them HarVee”. He was initially disqualified for the misdemeanour, but later reinstated as the winner.

On his next visit to the West Sussex venue, Harvey teamed up with Graham Fletcher, Paddy McMahon and David Broome to win the Nations Cup. Graham remembers: “As soon as we went in for the prize giving, Harvey said: ‘Come on fellas, let’s all give Dougie the V-sign’ – obviously done in fun. But that was typical Harvey – we haven’t just won this, we’re going to milk the situation.

“In those days there was no money in Nations Cups but, despite Harvey’s great love for money, there was no one more passionate when it came to jumping on teams.”

Harvey helped Great Britain win two silver medals at the European Championships in Vienna in 1977 and Hickstead in 1983. His first individual medal came aged 24 in 1963 when he won bronze riding Warpaint. Four years later, he and Harvester claimed silver behind David Broome in Rotterdam, then in 1971 he came home with silver again, riding Evan Jones.

In a thrilling moment for British fans, David and Harvey made it through to the final four at the 1970 World Championships, where the Welshman won the title but Harvey wasn’t far behind, taking bronze on the brilliant Mattie Brown.

“I was so very close with those silver medals – I was always just beaten on time or faults, but that’s life I suppose,” he shrugs with typical God’s-own-country resolve.

Harvey was piqued to be left at home for the 1964 Olympics with selectors claiming his horses were over-travelled, but he went on to represent Great Britain in Mexico in 1968 with Madison Time, where Marion Coakes (Stroller) and David (Mr Softee) won medals, and just missed a podium finish in 1972 when the team finished fourth.

Harvey’s sons with first wife Irene, Robert and Steven, became the second generation of Smith family Olympians as they forged stellar careers of their own, dominating the sport as a trio during the early 1980s.

Harvey Smith’s proudest achievement

Harvey’s success rate in major classes was phenomenal, but one gives him most satisfaction.

“My proudest achievement would be winning the John Player Trophy, the grand prix of Great Britain, seven times,” says Harvey, whose first victory came in 1962 with O’Malley, and three times with Harvester.

He made a great name for himself overseas too, becoming only the second British rider to win the Rome grand prix in 1963, and landed the Aachen grand prix in 1977 with Graffiti, a performance that impressed his opponent John Whitaker.

“Graffiti was a big winner, an unbelievable speed horse, but you never thought he was capable of winning Aachen – Harvey needed all his strength to get him round and that was something special,” says John. “But Harvey really got the best out of horses.”

It was from a show in Paris that David Broome recalls “typical Harvey” off the field.

“We always got invited to different functions at these shows – we were never the most enthusiastic participants, I’ll be honest – but this time we were invited to the palace,” he remembers. “When we arrived, Harvey realised he had forgotten his invitation. Typical Harvey, he went to bluff his way in but the guard pulled out his gun and pointed it straight at him. He got the fright of his life, I’m sure he’d never had a gun pulled on him before! I think that’s the only time I’ve ever seen Harvey climb down actually…”

So what was the secret to Harvey Smith’s phenomenal success in the ring?

“We live in a lovely place to get the horses ready, you see – we ride them out over the moors, whereas other people get them ready in little sand paddocks,” explains Harvey, who would casually jump five-bar gates and stone walls with his showjumpers at home. “Our horses were always a bit fitter than everyone else’s. We’ve found the same with the racehorses as well.

“In my lifetime I won most of the grands prix all over the world and we went on to win the Grand National too, so horse-wise I don’t think there’s anyone done much better.”

Harvey clearly knows horses inside out and he was blessed with some real stars along the way including Madison Time, Mattie Brown, Salvador, O’Malley and Warpaint.

“I can’t pick favourites,” he states. “When you think I was there over 40 years, it’s a right load of top-class horses so it would be wrong to start picking and choosing. I had good speed horses, good puissance horses, good grand prix horses. But I used to get everyone else’s cast-offs – that were [sic] my job, making them into something good.”

But as well as his knack for nurturing equine misfits, Harvey’s ring craft was exceptional. He inspired riders following in his wake with his will to win – or rather his dislike of being beaten. He was the master of the quick turn and always found the shortest route from A to B.

“If Harvey was in a jump-off, you knew you had a challenge on your hands,” explains David Broome. “He produced rounds that were absolutely unbeatable so you gave in to them. But I think we were lucky to have each other. In a lot of sports, people arrive two at a time and they drive each other on. Harvey did that to me and I think I motivated him too – not that he needed much motivation.

“Absolutely we were the best of mates – but it all stopped when we went in the ring. We watched each other like hawks.”

One of Harvey’s favourite classes was the take-your-own-line, and David remembers one in particular.

“He had created a course of a one-stride double on the angle to a Liverpool oxer on one stride – it just wasn’t on,” says David. “But bugger me, if Harvey and The Sea Hawk, who was a little South African blood horse, jumped it on the one stride. Then what did he do? He turned round and did it again. I was in awe.”

Although a tough and fiery competitor, who worked his horses hard in the ring, Harvey was stylish, too, and Enid Whitaker, matriarch of the showjumping clan, encouraged her sons to learn from him. As a self-made fellow Yorkshireman, Harvey was a natural icon to the young Whitakers.

“As a kid I used to copy everything he did – even down to riding in green wellies,” says John. “So when I first beat Harvey Smith at Harrogate one year, I really thought I’d made it.”

The blunt-talking Harvey endured a love-hate relationship with the press. He had a weekly column in The Sun, which again got him into trouble but only served to endear him further to the public.

“He never regarded it as a poncy sport that was only for the elite – he brought showjumping to all sections of life,” explains Graham Fletcher. “But one thing he isn’t given enough credit for is that Harvey believed that showjumpers were there to entertain – showjumping was show business. I learnt a lot through him in that respect.

“As the sport became more internal, he had a job coming to terms with course-builders who are so technical. ‘What about the public?’ he’d say. ‘Are they interested in it, where is the climax of the competition?’”

“I’m not retired!” says Harvey Smith

Harvey hung up his showjumping boots in 1990 but there’s been no inclination to put up his feet.

“I’m not retired, I’m still going!” stresses Harvey, who turns 82 later this year and still likes to be up at the crack of dawn with the string of racehorses his wife Sue trains at Craiglands Farm, near Bingley – his home for the past 50 years. “It was just a progression from one sport to another.”

Their crowning moment on the track came in 2013 when they sent out Auroras Encore to win the Grand National.

“Nowadays, I’m happiest when the horses are winning – that’s what we’re interested in and how I’d like to be remembered, as a winner,” says Harvey.

He still follows showjumping, “but the shows in England have gone dead – it wants a big shake-up,” he says.

“There’s no way to progress – it’s all gone into computer systems and it’s killed the sport.

“David and I definitely saw the best of showjumping, it will never be the same again. But I have no regrets, I had a good innings in the sport,” sums up Harvey.

Perhaps this national sporting icon will always be remembered as this controversial character, but there is so much more to admire.

“He is kind-hearted, generous and a good soul,” says David. “The world will remember him for his two-finger salute – that was Harvey I suppose – but he should also be remembered for his determination, pluck and the fact he never gave up. They don’t come any tougher than Harvey.

“I was just privileged that he was around while I was and I thank him for all his sportsmanship.”

Harvey Smith may have been a household name then, but he’s become a legend now.

David Broome on Harvey Smith

“Harvey Smith was wonderful for our sport – many sports people make the back pages of the newspapers, but Harvey could make the front pages, too.

“He loved boxing, and at the Mexico Olympics, athletes could go and watch any other competitions. Invariably you saw Harvey on the telly at night at the boxing venue – he used to put on his tracksuit, towel round his neck and off he went to watch from the front row.

“We used to do our own thing in the afternoons and he came back all excited one day and said, ‘Eh Basil’ – he always called me Basil – ‘I’ve seen a fella jumping over a fence backwards!’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ It turned out that Dick Fosbury was attempting the first-ever ‘flop’ in the high jump and Harvey was there to see it. He couldn’t get over that.

“When we meet up now – and it might be 12 months since we last saw each other – we carry on talking as if we’d stopped yesterday. The lovely thing is, we’ve all enjoyed his company.”

Did you know?

• Harvey Smith’s luxury item when he appeared on Desert Island Discs in 1971 was a radio receiver, and his favourite track was Lara’s Theme from Dr Zhivago.
• In 1975, Harvey recorded a version of Cole Porter’s True Love.
• Jilly Cooper once described him as “Heathcliff on horseback”.
• Harvey Smith was the first British rider to turn professional.
• In 2012 Harvey carried the Olympic torch through York racecourse, lighting the cauldron in front of a 25,000-strong crowd.
• During the 1970s he took up professional wrestling, which was shown on ITV’s World of Sport every Saturday. Harvey entered the ring wearing a large V on the back of his velvet robe.
• He even has a knocker on his back door in the shape of a V.

John Whitaker on Harvey Smith

“The name Harvey Smith and showjumping go hand in hand. He caught the attention of normal people with his rough-and-ready character and did a massive amount for the popularity of the sport. Harvey could ride a difficult horse using his strength, but he could also ride a sensitive one – he had lots of feeling.

“He was also a good singer. He used to have two dustbin lids which he used for barbecues round the county shows and at a certain point each evening, he’d say, ‘How does it go?’ and he’d start a sing-song. They were good times.”

Three of Harvey’s bargain buys

• Mattie Brown: bought in Ireland in 1968. The seller, Paddy Griffin, wanted £40,000 for him, but after Harvey saw him stop three times at the first fence in Dublin, he offered him £2,000. Paddy was worried what he’d tell his neighbours, so Harvey said he’d issue him a dud cheque for the full amount, which Paddy could show them, then he’d pay him a cheque for £2,000. Mattie Brown was then the leading money winner the following year, won the Hickstead Derby twice, the King George V Gold Cup and world championship bronze.
• O’Malley: Harvey described him as either unbeatable or “solid useless” due to being sensitive in the mouth. But he was brilliant at puissance, clearing 7ft and winning in New York, Toronto, Washington and in Germany.
• Warpaint: a £300 bargain buy from Leicester sales in 1961. Harvey had followed his career but the horse had a mind of his own and if he decided he’d gone far enough, he’d refuse to budge from the corner of the ring. But when he wanted to do the job, there were few better; Warpaint won some of the biggest classes in Europe.

Harvey Smith’s career in numbers

2 Olympic appearances

7 wins in the John Player Troph

6 championship medals

The first man to jump in 100 World Cup qualifiers, in 1989

Won more than 50 grands prix

£2,000 His prize after being reinstated as the winner of the 1971 Hickstead Derby – he was the first rider to win it back-to-back

4 Hickstead Derby win

Ref Horse & Hound; 17 September 2020

Today (29 December) we are wishing a very Happy 80th Birthday to one of the greatest names in showjumping, Harvey Smith! To celebrate this octogenarian’s outstanding contribution to equestrian sport over the years, we rifled through the picture archives to find just a few of our favourite ‘Harvey moments’ — and remember many more of the good times, too.

1. Harvey has won the Hickstead Derby four times — in 1970 and 1971 on Mattie Brown (pictured), then in 1974 on Salvador, before completing the four-timer in 1981 on Sanyo Video. His famous ‘V sign’ — directed towards the Hickstead judges — came in the 1971 event and led to him becoming a household name.

2. The Yorkshireman’s two sons Robert (pictured below with Harvey) and Steven followed him into the showjumping business. Both rode at the Olympics and Robert remains a top competitor on the international stage.

3. Harvey represented Great Britain at two Olympic Games — his debut came in 1968 when he and Madison Time (pictured) flew to Mexico. In 1972 he finished fourth individually in Munich riding Manhattan.

4. The colourful, often controversial, showjumper wasn’t just a fierce competitor in the show ring — at the height of his fame in the 1970s he took part in professional wrestling. He also released a pop song in 1975.

5. Since retiring from showjumping in 1990, Harvey and his wife Sue Smith — also a former showjumper — have been training National Hunt racehorses at Craiglands Farm, Bingley, West Yorkshire, sending out the 2013 Grand National winner Auroras Encore (pictured), with Ryan Mania in the saddle.

6. Harvey won six championship medals including European team silver in 1983 and 1977, individual bronze in 1963 and at the world championships in 1970 and claimed individual silver at the Europeans in 1967 and 1971.

7. It’s over 60 years since Harvey Smith made his Nations Cup debut and in 1965 he and Harvester flew the flag for Great Britain.

8. Harvey remains one of the most famous names in showjumping and he received a lifetime achievement award from British Showjumping in 2010 for his outstanding contribution to the sport.

9. He won more than 50 grands prix during his career – but nothing can beat the moment his winning mount Sanyo Technology tried to eat the turkey presented to Harvey by the Duchess of Kent (pictured).

10. Harvey Smith made his competition debut at Bingley agricultural show in 1947 and returned to his pony-riding roots when taking part in the Pony Club Games at Horse of the Year Show in 1978 (pictured)

11. He’s competed all over the world, in every type of showjumping competition, becoming the first man to have jumped in 100 World Cup qualifiers.

12. And finally… If ever there was a time to bring out this photographic gem, it’s now. Happy Birthday Harvey!

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The great Harvey Smith, who turns 80 later this year, is one of the best-known names in showjumping.

Following in his hoofprints — quite literally — is grandson Joel Parkinson, son of Harvey’s younger son, and Robert’s brother, Steven. Joel is currently competing on the national circuit on a horse owned by his famous grandfather.

Joel, 36, was in action at Heckington Show in Lincolnshire on Harvey’s nine-year-old gelding Emmett VDM, a hugely talented prospect attracting plenty of attention and not just because of his famous owner.

“He’s only been lightly competed and is green at this level but we think a lot of him — he takes everything in his stride,” said Joel.

Joel was making his competition debut at Heckington, although both his father Steven — who represented Great Britain at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics before a serious motorcycle accident put an end to his showjumping career leading him to become a highly respected trainer — and Harvey himself have jumped at the venue.

“I came this year because it’s so hard to find bigger classes to jump and this show has a great schedule; I’ll certainly be back,” said Joel, who picked up a couple of placings at the show with Emmet VDM.

Drawn second of five riders in the jump-off for the area trial, Joel produced a speedy clear to finish third — an impressive feat considering the gelding is only newly upgraded to grade B level and this was the pair’s first attempt at this level.

The class was won in impressive style by the in-form Mennell Watson on Whisper In The Wind.

Continues below…

#TBT: when Harvey Smith confronted the Puissance judges at HOYS

Robert Smith celebrates birth of Harvey Smith junior

The newest member of the famous British showjumping family decided to arrive while Robert was preparing to compete in Liverpool

‘It’s utter nonsense’ — Robert Smith misses Nations Cup after quarantine mix-up

'We found out at the 12th hour... somewhere between Abu Dhabi and here, something stuffed up'

Among his many achievements in the jumping arena, Harvey earned several championship medals, won the Hickstead Derby four times and jumped at two Olympic Games. He retired from showjumping in 1990 and now trains National Hunt racehorses with his wife Sue. They won the Grand National in 2013 with Auroras Encore.

Read the full report from Heckington Show in next week’s issue of Horse & Hound, out Thursday 9 August.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

It's Throwback Thursday time, and with Horse of the Year Show 2017 underway, we rewind the clock 40 years to a particularly memorable Puissance class at the show...

Where was it?

Horse of the Year Show at Wembley, London, 1977

What happened?

The Wembley crowds were on the edge of their seats for the eagerly anticipated Puissance at Horse of the Year Show. But the 1977 class was to take an unexpected turn, even by its own thrilling standards…

The legendary Yorkshireman Harvey Smith — famed for his rebellious attitude on the showjumping circuit — enters the arena on Graf.

After the grey effortlessly clears the 7ft4 wall, Harvey is determined for it to be built bigger.

“He wants it to go up,” says the commentator. “Oh, he’s determined — but the judges have said that’s the last round.”

The rules stated that the judges could decide to end the class after a third jump-off, forcing Harvey to share the 1977 title that night with fellow Yorkshireman Graham Fletcher.

“And Harvey is going out… In fact, I’m not so sure he’s not going to come diving round here to ask why we’re not going on with another jump-off,” says the commentator in disbelief. “Yes he is, he’s going like mad.”

But Harvey’s impulsive dash up to the judges’ box was to no avail — they stuck to their guns and a fourth jump-off wasn’t permitted.

“Well Harvey Smith, to say the least of it, was pretty cross about that,” concludes the commentator. Something of an understatement we imagine.

HOYS Puissance 2017

Standby for all the drama from this year’s Puissance at Horse of the Year Show on Saturday evening (7 October 2017) in the Andrews Bowen International Arena.

And if you’re not able to get to the Birmingham NEC, all the action on Saturday night will be being live streamed on the British Equestrian Sport TV website from 6.55pm.

Don’t miss the full report from Horse of the Year Show 2017 in next week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (12 October 2017)

Watch the Horse of the Year Show TV programme live from wherever you are

Lifetime achievement award for showjumper Harvey Smith

One of showjumping's greatest characters has been honoured for his lifetime achievements and services to the sport at the recent

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Auroras Encore, trained in Yorkshire by Sue Smith and her showjumping legend husband Harvey, won the John Smith’s Grand National today at 66-1.

Scottish-born jockey Ryan Mania, who was having his first ride in the race, brought the 11-year-old home nine lengths in front of second-placed Cappa Bleu. Teaforthree was just a neck behind in third, with Oscar Time fourth and Rare Bob fifth.

“People have asked how this compares to showjumping, but I like to look forward so this is the best and I hope there’s more to come. I’ll have to keep going to 100 now!” said Harvey Smith, 74.

Auroras Encore, a son of Second Empire, was bought by his current owners, Douglas Pryde, Jim Beaumont and David van de Hoeven, at Christmas time and kept in training with the Smiths. He was a close second in last year’s Scottish Grand National but has not enjoyed the heavy ground this winter, finishing well beaten at Kelso last time.

On much better ground (good to soft) at Aintree he relished the big fences, and Mania, 23, was able to take advantage of tiring horses in front of him at the final jump and Auroras Encore’s light weight of 10st 3lb to kick for home.

“I just cannot believe it has happened,” said Mania. “It’s a dream and you cannot explain what it’s like. My only ambition was to get round, although I knew he stayed the trip. He hasn’t been himself all season and has needed this better ground and the sun on his back. He’s not had the sunshine but he got the ground and he’s class on his day.”

Both the second and third horses were trained in Wales &mdsah; Cappa Bleu (Paul Moloney) by Evan Williams and Teaforthree (Nick Scholfield) by Rebecca Curtis.

“I am pleased for Sue and Harvey Smith as they are proper, proper National Hunt people and to see old Harvey shedding a tear means everything,” said Williams. “If we had to finish second, I could not have asked to finish second to better people.”

Fourth-placed Oscar Time, who gave amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen another thrilling ride at the front of the Grand National field, was the first Irish-trained horse home. He is trained in Co Dublin by Martin Lynch.

The 11-2 favourite Seabass finished 13th under Katie Walsh.

All the horses and jockeys were reported to have come home safely. Only two horses fell — Tatenen (Andrew Thornton) at the 12th fence and On His Own (Ruby Walsh) at the 25th. A further six — Big Fella Thanks, Treacle, The Rainbow Hunter, Colbert Station, Roberto Goldback and Sunnyhillboy — unseated their riders. Seventeen of the 40 starters finished.

Grand National finishing order

1 Auroras Encore

2 Cappa Bleu

3 Teaforthree

4 Oscar Time

5 Rare Bob

6 Swing Bill

7 Soll

8 Tarquinius

9 Saint Are

10 Always Waining

11 Major Malarkey

12 Join Together

13 Seabass

14 Across The Bay

15 Balthazar King

16 Quiscover Fontaine

17 Any Currency

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Showjumping legends David Broome and Harvey Smith have been named as international ambassadors for British Showjumping (BS).

Both David and Harvey had high profile careers that spanned four decades — winning Olympic and Championship medals for Great Britain.

David won individual Olympic bronzes in 1960 and 1968 and European championships in 1961, 1967 and 1969. He was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1960 and also won the King George V Gold Cup a record six times.

Harvey Smith won silver at four European championships and a bronze world championship medal.

“With both men having performed with such unswerving success for such a significant time, the depth of knowledge and insight that David and Harvey bring with them is insurmountable,” said a spokesman for BS.

The pair will have an advisory role, aiding World Class Showjumping Performance manager Rob Hoekstra.

“We will only move forward and continue to improve if we pull together as a team and embrace those who can make both a contribution and a difference,” said Mr Hoekstra.

“In David and Harvey accepting ambassadorial roles I feel we have just this. I feel fortunate to have both of these extraordinarily talented men supporting the British team in such a public way.”

Iain Graham, chief executive for BS added: “Under Rob Hoekstra’s guidance we have enjoyed a much improved performance at senior level with many new horse and rider combinations making their debut appearances with great promise.

“With Rob having the added support of such respected former riders as David and Harvey as international ambassadors, we are sure it can only reap further rewards and we would like to thank both of them for the enthusiasm with which they accept this role.”

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Former top showjumper Harvey Smith has been honoured for his lifetime achievements and services to the sport at the recent British Showjumping (BS) awards.

The award to the two-time Olympic rider and one of the sport’s greatest characters was one of 11 given out at during the BS awards ball in Birmingham on 6 April.

Around 500 guests attending the event at the Hilton Metropole, which was sponsored by the British Showjumping Business Partnership.

Other winners included:

Jessica Mendoza — Best Pony Rider of the Year

Jemma Kirk — Best Rider under 21 (on horses) of the Year

Geoff Billington — Members’ Personality of the Year

Ben Mayer — Riders’ Rider of the Year

Ben Mayer and Robin — International Horse/Rider Combination of the Year

Helen Tredwell — Area/International Points Winner

Ingliston Country Club — Members’ Show Venue of the Year and Equestrian Centre

Great Yorkshire Show — Members’ County Show of the Year

Old Lodge — Breeders Award

Susie Gibson — British Showjumping Coach of the Year.

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