| Biography | Smith was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and still maintains his stables at Craiglands Farm, High Eldwick, Bingley, near Bradford. He stood out from the ranks of showjumpers because of his broad accent and blunt manner. His career was often controversial; in 1971 he was disciplined (overturned on appeal) after he gave a "V sign" to the judges following a near perfect round which won him the British Show Jumping Derby for the second year in succession and also a 'tongue-in-cheek' part in an advert for Victory V sweets with the slogan 'They've got a kick like a mule'!. Smith became so famous that he embarked on a brief, but unsuccessful, singing career. His son, Robert, also became an equestrian champion.
Competing in two Summer Olympics, Smith's best finish was fourth in the individual show jumping event at Munich in 1972. He later became a television commentator for the British Broadcasting Corporation, doing equestrian coverage at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
In 1989 Smith was honoured for being the first man to have jumped in 100 Volvo World Cup Qualifying Rounds.
During the 1970s in his spare time he competed in professional wrestling. In 1975 Smith also made a record titled "True Love".
In 1990, after retiring from competition, Harvey teamed up with wife and trainer Sue Smith, a former showjumper herself, to form a racing team at their Yorkshire base, Craiglands Farm. Their charge Auroras Encore won the 2013 Grand National. |