His father worked in the meat industry and travelling around with his father led Bernard to his first encounter with horses. "I used to ride in the woods and just loved galloping at full speed, which is what I did until my early twenties when I had a bad back injury, followed by an operation. I didn't want to give up riding so, when my doctor told me that if I really wanted to saddle up I should get a quarter horse because of the way they moved and because they were docile, and that's what I did. He also told me that I should learn how to ride, not just get up and go. He suggested I take lessons from Christel Poels, [his wife Ann's sister], who is an AQHA Professional. I started riding with Christel and then with Ann]." When Ann got pregnant with their first child, he took over riding and showing the horses which he continued to do after she returned to competing. (nhra.com, 31 Dec 2012)