Freddy Goes to Wellington - Frederic Wandres to Compete at 2021 Global Dressage Festival

Dressage

Germany

German A-squad rider Frederic Wandres will be snowbirding in Wellington, Florida, for the winter season and compete at the 2021 Global Dressage Festival.

With the almost entire international winter show circuit cancelled in Europe due to the ongoing corona pandemic, Wandres' employer, Hof Kasselmann, created the opportunity for the rider to travel to Florida with a string of sales and training horses to campaign this winter.

"The Kasselmann Family is a long-time and well known friend of the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington and has been represented on the show grounds for many many years," Wandres explained. "This year will be my first time traveling there with some sale and sport horses."

Koschel and Wandres

Wandres will join Wellington regular Christoph Koschel, who for the majority of the year is based at Hof Kasselmann in Hagen and works as a sales consultant for them.

"I hope many dressage friends will visit us in Wellington," Frederic added. "Of course we have already planned clinics and personal training sessions and are open for more initiatives."

Koschel and Wandres will be based at Karl zu Guttenberg's Mathanna Farm in Wellington.

"Christoph and I know each other for a long time and we are very good colleagues, so we will work out a strong business and sports team together," he said. "The sales horses we are bringing are small tour level trained, nice types that are easy to handle. They are offspring by Dante Weltino, Rock Forever and Sandro Hit."

Competition

Wandres and Terry Lan's Hot Hit at the 2019 CDI-W Mechelen

In the absence of a proper show circuit in Europe at the start of 2021, Wandres will be training and competing up to 8 horses in Florida to give them mileage and exposure. Hopefully on 14 January Hof Kasselmann will be shipping 15 horses to Florida, half of them already sold to clients.

"We have to deliver a lot of belated Christmas presents in that area of America of horses already sold," Wandres explained, "so we will end up with approximately eight horses in Wellington to work with. Some of them are for sale and some of them come along for more experience and to compete for their current owners."

Frederic is bringing, for instance, the Taiwanese owned young Grand Prix horse Hot Hit (by Hotline x Diamont Hit) to present in the big arena at the highest level of the sport, as well the rising 8-year old Harrods (by Hochadel x Rotspon), a horse he is particularly excited about.

"In Germany he already won Prix St Georges classes up to 77% and was qualified for the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden in December, but in the end that show was cancelled," said Frederic. "Harrods can prove his potential in the international small tour in Florida. In my mind he will may be my next generation Grand Prix horse, coming up behind Duke of Britain."

Duke of Britain

Wandres and Harrods at the 2020 WCYH Selection Trial

Frederic's number one horse is the German A-Olympic squad listed Duke of Britain (by Dimaggio x Rubinstein). The rising 14-year old is established at Grand Prix scoring in the high seventy percentage range and will not come to Florida. He will get a longer winter break to be fresh and ready for the German Olympic selection trials next spring.

"Despite corona times Duke of Britain got super results at several international shows in 2020 and achieved one personal top score after another and finally an Olympic squad place," said a thrilled Wandres. "He needs the winter for easy home work, because next season can be an important one for us."