Fred’s methodology is highly influenced by the Portuguese manner of riding. Knowing that the horse is always listening, he provides a sensitive, patient approach to express clearly what is being asked. Coming into a natural balance, forwardness, and connection are the priorities for horses in his training. Fred enjoys working with all breeds of horses from youngsters to advanced, having a love especially for Lusitanos. In 2022, Fred ranked 4th in the country for Level 5 Working Equitation, and is looking to continue in both WE and Dressage rings this year.
Frederico Bernardino
Background
As a young boy, Fred’s first contact with horses came through his late Grandfather who inspired him to start taking lessons when he was 8 years old, studying under Luis Filipe de Oliveira and his son, David. Quinta da Amorosa is a family run facility that for more than 20 years keeps forming champions at different disciplines, primarily Working Equitation. And it was in that moment that Fred had his first look at WE.
At the age of 10, Fred entered into Colégio Militar where the riding academy was centered around jumping, competing regularly in Show Jumping. At 12 years of age he also enrolled into Centro Equestre da LezÃria Grande(CELG), best known as the home of the Valença family. Learning under Sofia Valença, Fred was able to create a stronger base into the main pilars of Dressage, allowing him to increase his education and tact in the saddle as well as competing with the CELG team against other teams in Dressage, Show Jumping, and Working Equitation.
At 15 years of he got a summer job with Paulo Santos, and later started training and competing under his eye. Paulo is a Dressage and WE trainer, who currently based in the UK, and is the team trainer for British Working Equitation. A year later Fred transferred into the Escola AgrÃcola da Paiã, in Lisbon, continuing to show in Dressage and Show Jumping while finishing up his high school years, and started grooming for his friends at WE and Dressage shows. A few years later, he started working for David and Diogo Oliveira, Former World WE Champion and Former European WE Young Rider Champion, respectively, as a barn manager and rider. Here is where Fred really dove into WE deeply and continued his dressage education while learning what it takes to manage and get horses to a level of quality to compete at an international level. The experience developing young horses in both disciplines gave him a perspective of understanding to read the needs of each different horse, and applying adaptations for the horses training, in order to bring the best out in them.
After a very short first visit to California at the end of 2021, in March of 2022 that Fred and his wife Sofia decided to come to California, and start together an important journey in their lives.
