In the world of horses, Urs Schwarzenbach is mainly known as the sponsor of the polo team Blacks Bears. After a serious fall from horseback last summer, he now plays less often than he used to, however, his son Guy (hand 2) has now taken over. Urs is also a businessman and is one of the wealthiest in the country. As financier, he owns several hotels including the famous Dolder Hotel in Zurich (newly renovated in 2008) and the Suvretta in St. Moritz. He spends most of his time in England.

“Urs Schwarzenbach rode at the Rütihof at the end of the 1960’s with his wife and that is how we met”, says Hugo Schmutz, owner of the stables who lives here and rides every day. “In 2001, Urs took over the facilities. He liked the location a lot and could land his helicopter here, but he does not come here very often”, adds Hugo.

The facilities were completely renovated: the arena was enlarged to 62 x 22m, a horse walker was added and new magnificent stables were built with boxes that were 4,5 x 5m big. The excellent flooring, which was made from synthetic sand, was used for both the indoor and outdoor arena. The landscaped trails allow for safe rides through the forests. Werner Oberholzer, an architect and close friend of Urs Schwarzenbach, was in charge of the renovation. As Urs spends most of his time in England, the stables were under-utilized and hence the idea of letting Steve Guerdat use them.