October 11, 2025 
If you asked Federico Fernández how he was feeling after his win in the CSI5* Otomí Grand Prix, he would say he’d already won long before he even stepped foot in that arena.
The four-time Mexican Olympian has the most positive, winning mindset perhaps of any rider at the highest level of the sport. But that winning mindset came as a result of extreme tragedy and hardship.
At just 19, he was one of only three survivors of a plane crash in which 50 people were killed. He was traveling with the Mexican team to the FEI North American Youth Championships in Illinois.
Now 57, Fernández has used his second chance at life to inspire others, to follow his passions, and to win, both in and out of the show ring.
“It was a big opportunity to have an evaluation of life and to understand what’s really important, and to aim for those important things and forget about the ones that don’t matter,” Fernández told FEI Awards of that fateful event. “All human beings have an inner strength that we don’t even know until it’s tested. Once it’s tested you feel secure about moving on and enjoying life.”
His return to the show ring a year after the crash resulted in a victory in more ways than one; he won his first Grand Prix, he won the hearts of his home nation, and he proved just living life was something you could win at. It’s a mindset he hasn’t shaken since then.
An amateur athlete, a family man, and a true horseman, Fernandez fully grasps how precious and fragile life is, and he is extremely dedicated to pursuing the thing he loves the most: horses.
“It has been something so, so special,” he shared about his life with horses. “It brings me happiness. Even though I am not a professional, I have done this with passion. It would be unfair to call this a hobby because in my life it takes up a very big space of my time and my heart.”
Not many riders have reached the level Fernandez has without riding as a professional. He’s now competed at four Olympic Games, seven World Equestrian Games, and he’s a medalist at the Pan American Games. Not to mention the countless Nations Cups in which he’s represented Mexico.
And many of these achievements came aboard his winning Otomí mount, Romeo. The double-clear performance was just another drop in the bucket for a pair that has accomplished so much.
While he undoubtedly celebrated his latest major victory, Fernandez is quick to move along, because he knows there is so much more ahead.
“It’s very important in my opinion to believe that the best is yet to come,” he said when he was honored with the Pivo FEI Inspire Award in 2023. “The best doesn’t necessarily mean a better achievement, it just means that you still have things that make you happy and proud and to feel alive.”
5* Grand Prix win or not, Fernandez has lived his life well.
