Bernardo Costa Cabral at work. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
I often find that the people involved in putting on an equestrian competition may be as interesting as those participating in it.
Such is the case with Bernardo Costa Cabral, the 45-year-old course designer from Portugal who will head the team laying out the jumper courses at April’s Longines FEI World Cup finals in Omaha.
His resume includes some of the most prestigious shows in the world, from Royal Windsor and the London International in Britain to the National in this country, as well as shows in the Middle East and Europe.
When I met him at the Royal Winter Fair seven years ago, however, the designer wasn’t quite as well-known as he is now. So I was interested in the beginnings of his career. How many designers get involved with that aspect of the sport from a young age?
But he did, and in a unique way. I’ll let him tell you about it. Click on this video to learn his story.
The finals April 4-8 are in Omaha for the second time since their debut in the midwestern city in 2017. It’s a shame that it took six years for the World Cup to return to the U.S., but as you may remember, the 2020 finals in Las Vegas had to be cancelled because of Covid. Happily, now things are back on track and in another three years, they are set for Fort Worth, Texas, under the auspices of the Split Rock series.
But why wait that long? It isn’t often that there is an opportunity to see the best competitors in show jumping as well as dressage and vaulting in the U.S. It would be nice to go to the Paris Olympics to see them in 2024, but that will be one expensive trip, and not within the means of so many people.
Omaha, however, is a town of reasonable prices, so take advantage of the chance to be there and watch the legends, such as Germany’s dressage star Isabell Werth and the USA’s super show jumping McLain Ward (both won in 2017.)
For information, go to www.omaha2023.fei.org.
