Colombian dressage rider Marco Bernal lived every rider’s dream during the 2010 Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI, when he heard his country’s national anthem played three times for three great wins.
Bernal’s success came aboard his Westphalian stallion Farewell IV, the same stallion that he set the world record on at WEF in 2005 when they scored a record high score of 85.385%.
Farewell IV and Bernal won the FEI Prix St. Georges class with a score of 70.263%, the FEI Intermediaire I class with a 71.228% and the FEI Intermediaire I Freestyle with a score of 69.600%.
Bernal also competed Halgbott and Maybach at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby, and was pleased with both stallions. In addition, Maybach won the Best Conditioned Horse at the CDI jog at the show.
“This was the best show for me so far. It is nice when you work so long with a horse and you have great results, ” Bernal said. “It was also a great feeling to hear my national anthem played three times in a row. I have had Farewell for almost five years and he improves every day. It is really nice to see that improvement.”
A friend in Germany sent him a video of Farewell and another stallion Maybach. “I didn’t have the money to buy them, but I asked him to save them for me,” Bernal said. “Eventually, someone else bought them for me to show and later I was able to buy both horses from them. So at the end of the day they became mine and it is a very happy ending.”
Bernal represented Colombia at the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup in Las Vegas. Recently, Bernal earned the highest award bestowed upon an athlete in Colombia when he was awarded the Athlete’s Award, presented to him by the Colombian President.