January 17, 2022 
Frederic Wandres is simply the best.
The German rider was three times a winner last week at the 2022 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, Florida.
On Thursday, the 34-year-old rider topped a field of 12 in the FEI World Cup™ Short Grand Prix, riding Bluetooth OLD to a personal best of 74.158%.
The 12-year-old gelding, previously ridden by German Olympic team gold medalist in eventing, Ingrid Klimke, has been with Wandres for a year and started international grand prix in the spring of 2021. This season marks the horse’s first trip to Florida.
“Last season I figured out that all the horses who came here and did the season took a lot of experience home with them, which was a big plus for all of them,” said Wandres. “I’m looking forward to the same with Bluetooth.
“He has a super elastic trot and the piaffe and passage have developed really well.”
On Friday, the pair added the first “Friday Night Stars” evening freestyle of the season to their record, earning a score of 81.065%.
“I felt super tonight,” said Wandres, whose freestyle was made by Michael Erdmann. “My best score was 79% in Aachen in the four-star CDI, but today 81% is really something fantastic and incredible.
“Bluetooth is still a little bit green here and there, but he has still not had 10 international grands prix on his board, so he’s a young one. I’m super happy that he’s in that atmosphere and really delivering that kind of super results.”
Wandres intends to contest at least one more World Cup show at AGDF this season: “The plan is to do one or two more shows with Bluetooth,” he added. “He’s for sale, so maybe we’ll find a match for him here, but if not, I’d be very happy to keep him as a second horse to my top horse Duke Of Britain.”
Wandres ended the week the way he started it with a win in Sunday’s Lövsta Future Challenge Young Horse Grand Prix Series aboard nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding Harrods 3. The pair competed at last year’s AGDF in Prix St. Georges and have moved up to FEI Intermediate II.
Said Wandres: “I felt already last year that there is so much talent in him, and we just have to bring it into the arena now, which is sometimes not that easy. At home you feel what your horse can do, but to bring it inside is something else. But I’m super happy with him and he feels fantastic.
“For competing in the Intermediate II, you have to train all of the exercises step by step,” he continued. “Then you have to bring it all together, like a puzzle, and connect it. The piaffe-passage, the whole pirouettes, and the changes, that takes so much energy out of the horses—more than you expect sometimes. You have to do it step by step over the winter and then try to bring it together. The horse is getting more power by doing it.”
Wandres and Harrods delivered a score of 74.352%.
“I thought the connection of the whole test was good. I had a small mistake in the two tempis, but that can happen to a young horse. I felt he was in front of me and willing to do everything,” added Wandres, noting the Hochadel gelding’s good temperament.
“I love him, and I think he’s exactly where he has to be.”
And precisely where Wandres wants to be.
