Frederic Wandres

Frederic Wandres does not come from a family of horse enthusiasts. Quite the contrary: as he was growing up in Kehl, Baden, no one could have guessed that “Freddie” would one day become an Olympic team champion in dressage. Nor could anyone have imagined that he would move north.

It was more by chance that some of his elementary school friends had taken Frederic along to go horseback riding. And that visit would have a profound impact on the rest of his life. Lunging lessons, riding school horses. “I spent more time at the stables than at home,” recalls the Baden native, born in 1987, looking back on his school days.

A horse that can’t do much

During puberty, his father gave him a horse. Not one you could learn from. On the contrary: Calypso, a three-year-old, unbroken horse, was more of a project. Frederic Wandres trained him. He rode him in A-level dressage and A-level show jumping. It soon became clear that dressage was more his thing than jumping.

This provided an opportunity to watch Danish championship rider Lone Jörgensen—who was living in Baden-Württemberg at the time—train. Piaffes, passages, and flying changes came into view for the first time.

But anyone who thinks this means his path to a career in the equine field is already mapped out is mistaken. Like so many parents, Frederic’s parents insist that he first earn his high school diploma and then complete an apprenticeship. Wandres will become an industrial clerk. Then he can devote himself fully to his passion for horses.

To the Kasselmann Farm

At just under 20 years old, he headed north. A good 500 kilometers separate Hagen near the Teutoburg Forest—where the Kasselmann farm is located—from the town of Kehl, between Karlsruhe and Freiburg, where Frederic grew up. In Hagen, Insa Hansen became his instructor. In 2008, he completed his training as an equine management specialist with honors, receiving the Steensbeck plaque.

After several years working at the Kasselmann farm, Freddie decides to make another career change. He moves to the Bonhomme stud farm near Potsdam in Brandenburg. There, among other things, he rides the young stallion Grey Flanell by Gribaldi. With him, he competes in the Dutch Pavo Cup, the equivalent of the German Bundeschampionat. Grey Flanell is named best stallion of his age group there.

Fiderdance, who competed in the 2026 World Cup Final with Moritz Treffinger, was also ridden by Frederic Wandres for a time at the Bonhomme Stud.

A Trip to Brandenburg and Back

At some point, his former boss, Bianca Kasselmann, calls and asks if Freddie could imagine returning to Hagen. He can. In 2014–15, Wandres moves back to Hagen. And from that point on, his riding career took off: After just half a year, he had racked up enough wins in the advanced class to earn the gold riding badge. And he met the horse that would play a pivotal role in his international career: Duke of Britain FRH. The British-born Hanoverian gelding qualified for the Louisdor Prize final in 2017. In 2018, the pair won the World Cup Freestyle at the pre-Christmas tournament in London. In 2020, they were both named to the Olympic squad.

International Successes

In 2022, Freddie Wandres and Duke of Britain finished as German runners-up in both the Grand Prix Special and the Freestyle at the German Championships in Balve, in the Sauerland region. They then headed to the Nations Cup in Aachen, where the pair posted the best result of any German team. What follows is inevitable: the nomination for the World Championships. Wandres heads to the World Championships. At the World Championships in Herning, Denmark, Germany wins the team bronze medal. However, Duke of Britain has to be withdrawn from the competition after the Grand Prix due to an injury.

Young Horse Trainer

In addition to his championship horses, Frederic Wandres rides horses of all ages at the Kasselmann stable. These include horses slated for sale at the P.S.I. auction in December, German national champions, and finalists at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses.

As early as 2020, another horse entered his life that would prove decisive for his international career: the Oldenburg Bluetooth OLD, a stallion who had once changed hands at the P.S.I. auction. He had been ridden by various riders, including Ingrid Klimke. In 2022, the pair’s big moment arrived: Wandres and Bluetooth won the CDI4* in Aachen. In 2023, they competed for the first time as part of a German team at a championship. In Riesenbeck, Team Germany wins the silver medal. In the individual standings, the pair secures two top-ten finishes: seventh in the Grand Prix Special and ninth in the Freestyle.

Dream of the Olympics

Suddenly, there’s a big word hanging in the air: Olympics! It’s the year 2024, and the world is counting down the days to the Games in Paris. Equestrian events against the backdrop of the Palace of Versailles. That’s the “cherry on top” of the Olympic opening ceremony.

At the German Championships, he won the silver medal in the Grand Prix Special riding Bluetooth and another silver medal—this time riding Duke of Britain—in the Freestyle. The only riders Frederic Wanders couldn’t beat were Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera. A few weeks later in Paris, the two would go on to win the gold medal in the individual competition. In Paris, the team gold went to Germany—by a narrow margin—but gold was awarded to Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Isabell Werth, and Frederic Wandres. He had reached the pinnacle of his career.

Gold in Paris and the Duke of Britain’s Farewell to Sports

In the individual competition—the Olympic freestyle—the pair from Hagen am Teutoburger Wald finished in 13th place. At the end of 2024, Duke of Britain will retire from competitive sport.

But his stablemate Bluetooth was back in action again in 2025. At the European Championships in Crozet, Frederic Wandres once again won team gold with the Oldenburg-bred son of Bordeaux. This time, he competed alongside Isabell Werth, Katharina Hemmer, and Ingrid Klimke. In the Grand Prix Special—which features an extra set of medals at the European Championships—they finish in seventh place. And in the freestyle at Crozet, the pair even place fifth.

Frederic Wandres trains regularly with national team coach Monica Theodorescu.

In love, engaged…

Frederic Wandres has a partner by his side: Lars Ligus. The two have been a couple since 2017. They are now engaged. They live and work together at the Kasselmann farm. Ligus is often referred to as a groom, a role he also fulfills at championships and tournaments. But Freddie prefers to call him his “eyes on the ground,” someone who honestly tells him what he sees. Ligus himself has achieved success up to the Grand Prix level. So, in the first few months of the new year, the two often fly together to Wellington to compete in dressage there. The Kasselmann Farm has many clients there, some of whom Frederic Wandres also coaches. And while shoveling snow might be on the agenda in Germany, Florida has its own set of problems: for example, an alligator might wander into the indoor arena overnight. But even problems like that can be overcome.

On Track for a Silver Medal at the German Championships

2026—the year of the World Championships on home soil. Frederic Wandres finishes second in the Grand Prix and third in the Special at the German Championships with Bluetooth. Because Isabell Werth rode two horses—Wendy and Viva Gold—to the podium ahead of him, Wandres was awarded the silver medal, his sixth to date. The two were subsequently nominated to represent Germany at the World Championships in Aachen.