Philip Correia returned home to a warm reception at the airport as family and friends greeted the silver medal winner after his success at the FEI World Jumping Challenge in Morocco on Sunday.

Correia posted clear rounds on all four days of competition to claim second place, the first Bermudian to win a medal in the final of the competition.

It was the biggest achievement of Correia’s career as he competed against the top two competitors from the ten regions as well as two from the host country.

Correia admitted there was “a good bit of luck” involved when the competitors were drawn to see which horse they will compete with. A different horse and the result could have been different, he said.

“You want to get a horse that has good ability and be somewhat easy to adapt to,” said Correia who rode 17-year-old Kilt Bessiere to a podium finish.

“My horse was a good horse, a little seasoned, I would say. There were some really, really nice horses there and I wish I had the opportunity to ride a couple of those. The horse that won was the favourite.”

Correia last competed in the competition more than ten years ago, so had some idea what to expect against some of the top riders in the world.

“I think it was a good experience, I’m not the type to think things through so much, just go out there and do what I have to do,” he said.

“It was a really good experience in regards to the facilities and the quality of horses. They didn’t quite expect the horse that I had to last four days. The draw was the key for the whole event. It’s hard to get on a borrowed horse if the horse doesn’t really know where it’s going.

“It was a good thing that I got a somewhat seasoned horse, but you have to bear in mind that people are lending you their horses, so I wouldn’t be as aggressive as with my own horse.”

Michael Cherry, a veteran equestrian official and former president of the Bermuda Equestrian Federation, was among those at the airport to welcome Correia home. He praised the rider’s silver medal success, describing it as a big achievement for the island.

“It’s a good thing for the equestrian sport in Bermuda, it’s keeping us on the map,” Cherry said.

“We’ve had success before, but this is one of the better accomplishments we’ve had at this level. This is not Olympic level or Pan Am Games level, a step down, but it means that we can compete in our own region, the Central American and Caribbean region, and then go off and compete against that level in the world.

“The other guy [from this region] was from Jamaica, Julian Hyde, who was here when we had the Junior CEA [Caribbean Equestrian Association] jumping, and Philip went away with that as well when he was a junior so it was good development. Unfortunately, we don’t have it anymore because of the lack of suitable horses.”

Added Cherry: “Competition was quite fierce to get there, the horses are loaned and are good quality, but it is the luck of the draw. Philip went to Germany a few years ago and he drew a not-very-good horse and didn’t do very well. This time he got a better horse.”

In Morocco the top eleven riders from the preliminary competition advanced to the final, with the second tier going into the consolation final. Hyde went into the consolation group.

“Philip had five rounds and had five clears, so he rode extremely well,” Cherry said.

“I got an e-mail this morning from the organiser of the FEI to say he was a fantastic ambassador for Bermuda.”