EQUESTRIAN: Olympian Edwina Tops-Alexander's preparations for the Rio Games are firmly on track following the talented Australian showjumper's podium finish at a FEI showjumping event in Zurich.

Tops-Alexander, a two-time Olympian, qualified for Rio when Australia's showjumping team secured a second-placed finish at a regional qualifier in Germany last year.

And on Sunday her hot form was rewarded with third place in Zurich on Sunday, after finishing the course in 45.31sec - just shy of winner Pius Schwizer's 41.97sec and runner-up Denis Lynch (42.34).

The Australian captain said it was a major confidence boost ahead of a long campaign leading up to the Olympics in August.

She was also delighted at the chance to have more in-competition experience with Caretina de Joter, which she hopes will be her first choice horse throughout 2016.

"Obviously it gives me a lot of confidence, but (the Olympics are) a long way off," Tops-Alexander told AAP.

"And it's a totally different environment - this is indoors and I've got outdoors to do.

"But it's good to know my horse better and find a few little details of what I need to do and what I don't need to do, and finding all the buttons because she's a new horse.

"It's just a good start to the year. We've just got to keep going in the right direction, keep going the way today went and we'll see what happens."

The 41-year-old will now head to Bordeaux, France, for an event later this week before taking a short break in Australia and resuming competition in Doha in March.

AAP