Grand Prix – the highest, most challenging of levels in dressage and show jumping. What does it take to bring a young horse to the GP level in dressage? Fredric Wandres, German dressage rider and Olympic gold medalist, has brought various horses up to Grand Prix level – why not ask him? 

You’ve educated and competed several young horses up to Grand Prix. What does it take to bring a horse up to that level?

– You need a lot of time and patience. In the beginning of my career, my coach and German dressage team trainer Monica Theodorescu, said that “There is no horse entering the Grand Prix too late. On the contrary, the chances are they come in too early”. You really have to invest time into it. The more pressure you put on the horse to get there quickly, the more you will fail. I mean, I’ve seen many horses that came out good when they were young, but they could not keep it up. So, when I’ve decided to take a horse to Grand Prix, I give it enough time. Often you have to postpone your goals a year or two, if you feel the horse is too “green” and not ready yet. But that year of extra work is nothing when you see the bigger picture.

Frederic continues to liken the process of educating a horse with the one of bringing up a child.

– I think you have to be calm, patient and repeat a lot. It’s very important not to miss the basics. The basics and the fundamentals must be solid, and then you can build on that. If there is a problem with the basics, this will follow you up to the highest level. Be true to yourself – are there really no problems at the stage you’re currently on, are you actually ready to move forward with the horse? Because if you’re not, this will only come back to hit you harder later.

What traits are beneficial to a horse for it to make it to Grand Prix?

– There are three things that are important for me when I look at a young horse:

• First, I look at the walk. A good collected walk and a good extended walk is important. 
  
  

• Secondly, I look at the hind legs – how are they working, are they under the body, are they slow? Everything becomes easier if the hind legs are active.
  
  

• Thirdly, and this is the most important one, the horse must be willing to work with you. You don’t need the biggest mover, it’s the willingness of the horse that matters if you want to reach far. It all depends on what’s in between the ears.

What are some of the key steps in training a young horse toward Grand Prix?

– Every age has its key steps – at 6, you start to get the flying changes, at 7 we start with some pirouettes and so forth. However, it’s vital to adapt the training to each individual horse. Some horses are learning flying changes at 5, others at 7. You must listen to the horse and see to its needs. The key to the Grand Prix is when the collected work starts to stick. When we’re at Intermediate II level, and we ask for a collected walk, half steps, maybe a bit of piaffe in the forward movements, then you are close to Grand Prix. The step from Intermediate II to Grand Prix is huge, but when you can do a good Intermediate II, then you’re halfway there.

Can you describe the feeling of seeing a horse you’ve brought up and trained finally reach the Grand Prix level?

– It’s not that definitive, but that one day when you have all the exercises down, you feel like “ok, the puzzle is laid. Now I have to work on strength so that the horse has the power to do it”. Grand Prix tests are super demanding energy-wise, so you need to work on the horse’s stamina. Step by step, the performance of the exercises will become better and better.

Frederic reflects on horses becoming better as the years go by and mentions some of his star horses as examples: Duke of Britain (2022 World Championships) and Bluetooth OLD (2023 European Dressage Championships, 2024 Olympic Games, 2025 European Dressage Championships).

– I was competing in my first international Grand Prix on Duke when he was 11 years old, but the best international Grand Prix he did was at 17. So, it took that long until we made it to near perfection and our highest level. It’s the same with Bluetooth – he’s very good, but I know and hope that the longer we will have the chance to compete together, the better he will become. You must know each other inside and out, and the longer you have the chance to work together, the better.