Barbara Schnieper
Barbara Schnieper was born on 22 February 1982 in Switzerland and grew up in Rain, in the canton of Lucerne. From a young age, she knew she wanted to work with horses – even though she did not come from a traditional equestrian family. Her passion for horses led her early into various stables, marking the beginning of her career.
She took her first riding lesson with veterinarian Pascal Bucher in Retschwil. She then worked in several training and breeding yards, including eight years at a breeding farm in Büren an der Aare. This period shaped her profoundly: she learned everything from the ground up – stable work, young horses, breeding, daily training and developing sport horses.
With growing experience, she collaborated with renowned trainers, and for many years with Paul Estermann, who has strongly supported her sporting development. Her breakthrough came with the Oldenburg gelding Cicero F, with whom she stepped into the international professional scene and was nominated for the Swiss team for the first time.
In 2018, she competed with the Swiss team at the FEI Nations Cup Final in Barcelona. One of her greatest achievements followed in 2022, when she became the first woman ever to win the Swiss Cup Final, riding her mare Judy KM.
More recently, she has achieved top-level results especially with Canice, and celebrated major victories with other horses as well, including the 4* Grand Prix of Ascona 2025 with Licolle, the 2* Grand Prix of Dielsdorf and Chantilly with Judy KM, the national Amriswil Grand Prix, and the 2* Grand Prix Donaueschingen-Immenhöfe with Toronto Raptor.
Barbara Schnieper lives with her husband, Urs Wiggli, and their daughters at Eigenhof in Seewen, in the canton of Solothurn. Together, they run a business focused on breeding, rearing and training sport horses. Daily life with horses, from starting young horses to competing internationally, is her greatest passion and the centre of her life.
She sees herself as a grounded and dedicated rider who has built her path through hard work, commitment and deep love for horses. Balancing breeding, training and top-level sport, she strives every day to bring out the best in each horse while constantly continuing to learn.
