When eight-year-old Fernando Marqués received a horse as a surprise gift from his parents, it was the beginning of his lifelong passion for horses.
Besides sparking his interests in veterinary medicine and equine health research, Marqués’ fascination with horses led to his exciting career in Argentina’s show jumping rings. Ranked in the second of eight levels of show jumping in Argentina (one being the highest), Marqués has experienced an inexplicable bond with the horses he has ridden.
“You have to communicate with your horse. When riding, you and your horse have to be one being, and that’s what I always taught my students.
“If you teach your horses that you are there and they are here, it’s over. You have to feel like one unit.”
A number of factors go into a successful racehorse, but the chief factor is a successful combination of mind and body, points out Marqués.
“You can see from famous athletes that their minds were kind of extraordinary, and maybe that’s why they did better than (their peers).
“They had the same body characteristics or the same training, but the mind was outstanding at that point, so it’s a combination of mind and body.”
Of course, being a veterinarian, Marqués is also very conscious of a horse’s conditioning. “Your horse should be healthy to ensure that it can perform as well as you would like. Because if your horse has an injury, it’s not like it could perform — it simply can’t. So, if you had a knee that hurts you, I couldn’t ask you to run the 100-metre-dash.”
An accomplished jumper in his own right, Marques also enjoyed teaching equestrian sports and acted as a coach and trainer for many years. But at first he wasn’t so sure about getting involved.
“My career in coaching started in my club where I had my horses. One of the coaches took off for a couple of weeks and asked me to give lessons to people. I didn’t have enough time, but I said that I would give them.
“I told the riders, ‘It’s not my area of expertise, but I will try.’ They said, ‘You’ll do fine, you’ve been a champion for many years, just do it for us.’ I did it, and I realized I really enjoyed it. It was great.”
Marqués has worked with riders of all ages, but he particularly enjoys working with young people. In fact, that’s why he likes teaching classes at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). “I always link the two of them together because I feel that I’m still coaching my students. I have a good interaction, good feedback with them.”
As a coach, Marqués managed to lead his team of young jumpers to three prominent victories in Argentina, winning trips to watch prestigious show jumping events at Wellington, Florida.
“It’s very nice when you see young riders and students succeed. It was a team approach — not just an individual approach. We felt like a team, and that was how I always tried to work.”
While Marqués says he would like to re-enter the world of show jumping, horses and stable fees are considerably more expensive here than in Argentina. Still, he certainly wouldn’t turn the opportunity down if it came up.
“I’m planning that someone will read this article and invite me riding,” he says, laughing.
Reprinted with permission of Horse Health Lines, publication for the Equine Health Research Fund. Visit www.ehrf.usask.ca for more information.
