Wellington, Fla.—March 13
After giving the horse five months off from competition, Frederic Wandres and his 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Bluetooth OLD (Bordeaux 28—Lorena, Riccione), made a winning debut back under the lights at Wellington. They kicked off the CDI5* during Week 10 of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival by topping the FEI Grand Prix a 76.19%. It was a familiar position to be in for the pair that dominated last year’s Wellington circuit.
Wandres said that giving “Bluetooth” the break meant both horse and rider were eager to get back into the show ring.
“He had a winter break, he came super fresh back into the arena, and he allowed me to ride him in a super harmonious way,” he said.
Despite of their blue-ribbon performance, Wandres couldn’t get one thing off his mind: a missed tempi.
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“I had a super expensive mistake—the one-tempi mistake—that is for sure,” Wandres said. “When it comes to the points, everyone knows it’s a higher amount of points which are gone. But the rest of the test felt pretty flawless and super nice.”
Nonetheless, the rider’s goal was to present to the judges a package “in a good frame, happy horse, and always light in the contact—and I think this worked out pretty well,” Wandres said.
Fellow German rider Felicitas Hendricks took second on her 13-year-old gelding Drombusch OLD with a 71.28%. The last pair of the night, U.S. rider Kevin Kohmann on Duenensee, bumped Anna Marek and Fayvel out of third place spot by just a half-point, with a final score of 70.82%.
Stay tuned for more 2024 AGDF coverage. For full results, click here.
