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“I've got three 10-year-old horses that I'm building up,” Sweden’s Peder Fredricson tells WoSJ as we sit down to catch up with the 2017 European Champion and five-time Olympian. “And building up horses means taking two steps forward and one step back.” 

“With these younger horses, there are a lot of firsts,” Fredricson continues. “And sometimes it goes well, sometimes not, but they need to learn – and it's fun. I’m enjoying this process as I need to get to know them and they need to get experience."

"Currently, I have H&M Bahia (Baloubet du Rouet x Coronado II), Expression from Second Life Z (Emerald x Caretano Z) and SV Vroom de La Pomme Z (Vigo d’Arsouilles x Untouchable 27) – all aged ten – as well as two older horses in Catch Me Not S (VDL Cardento 933 x Ramiro’s Son) and Alcapone des Carmille (Diamant de Semilly x Heartbreaker). For me, the three ten-year-old horses that I have are still young. As a rider, I'm a little bit in between because I have some older horses and I have to be mindful of their age and take responsibility for that, and then I have the younger ones who need a good build-up for the future.” 

“When it comes to horses, both young and old, you have to be flexible,” Fredricson points out. “If you have an experienced horse that is not yet old, it is easier to make a set competition plan. With the young ones, you have to manage them in a way which allows them to develop as well as possible. Obviously, as a rider, you want to move them up the levels, try them in bigger classes, but you have to be open to the fact that maybe you have to step down from time to time and give them some lower classes to gain confidence and then step up again. You have to be able to take a step back with the ones that need it; you have to be responsive to the way your horses feel. And when it comes to the older horses, you have to know how long of a break they need after a show and you have to respect their limits.”

When it comes to horses, both young and old, you have to be flexible

While Fredricson also has a group of even younger horses at home which are ridden by Nicole Holmen, he believes that no one else can do the work for him. “Nicole is a very talented rider,” Fredricson says. “However, I think it's difficult to have a system where someone else is riding your horses. The thing is, with horses, if you want to develop them, you need to ride them yourself. You can bring them on to a certain level with other riders, but if you want to bring them up to five-star level, you actually have to ride them yourself. You have to spend time with them and you have to get to know them – there simply are no shortcuts.” 

With his current team of horses, it remains to be seen whether the two-time Olympic vice-champion will be part of the Swedish team at the Paris Olympic Games this summer. “Personally, it's very difficult to make a plan now with the horses I have,” Fredricson says. “My only aim is to build them up in a good way and then we'll see in a couple of months if it could be possible with one of them or not.” 

It's not that when you are on a certain level, you can just sit back

However, the 52-year-old has no plans of stepping down. “I'm still really passionate about the sport,” he continues. “I'm still really curious, I try to develop all the time and I think that is what drives me; there are always new things to learn, things to develop and do better. I believe that there’s no such thing as standing still in our sport; it's not that when you are on a certain level, you can just sit back. No; you always have to keep improving yourself because if you don't it's not that you stand still, but you actually get worse.”

“I also enjoy this constant process; I always think it's interesting to look at other riders and watch what they do – that's why it's so nice to be on five-star shows where you see a lot of good riders. It's great to go to these events where you have the same people who you can always ask for advice and opinions if you have a question. When you spend as much time together as we do, you know you don't have to pretend, you can be yourself and learn from each other.” 

One aspect of the sport that Fredricson has always been particularly curious about is the equipment that is used. “Especially before the Tokyo Olympics, I started to think about all the little details that could be improved,” Fredricson tells. “I knew I had such a good horse in All In and we were a strong partnership, and I wanted really light, comfortable equipment for him because the conditions in Tokyo would be hot and humid. I remember when I went to tack him up at home and took the saddle, the gel pad, the girth, I thought to myself that there must be a way to make all of it lighter!”

I think it's all going to move towards new, more comfortable and lighter materials in our sport as well

“If you look at the products used for any other sport, there's no heavy equipment in whatever has to do with speed and upwards movement – everything is very light,” Fredricson points out. “So, if I look into the future, I think it's all going to move towards new, more comfortable and lighter materials in our sport as well. When making changes we need to have the horse in focus though, and we must really think about how the horse feels and reacts to what we do. In the end, the horse is the reason we are doing what we do and we have to always respect the horse.” 

As a result of Fredricson’s non-stop focus on improving, Bhoof was launched at the beginning of March 2024 – bringing to the market the products that he has missed. “When you compete, especially at the highest level, little details can make a big difference. There's no room for mistakes; everything needs to work. That's why I think it's an advantage to develop this brand while I'm still active as I can also test everything myself,” Fredricson says. 

When you compete, especially at the highest level, little details can make a big difference

“I have chosen the products which I think are the best on the market – the lightest and the ones I, and my horses, like the most. Based on my own experience, ideas and knowledge, we try to make improvements to optimise each of these pieces of equipment. There's a lot of great equipment out there and I'm never going to complain about any other brand or any other products. However, when you use these products every day in top sport, you always get to a stage where you think ‘I love this product, but it would be even better if we made just these tiny changes’. So, that’s what I’m now trying to do – it’s not that I’m inventing a lot of new stuff.”

“Basically, everything we do with the equipment is about trying to make it as comfortable as possible for the horse,” Fredricson continues. “And of course, it's more comfortable to have light equipment. We want horses to have a good life and we want them to perform well, and the better they feel, the better they perform. And I also want the riders to be comfortable; both horse and rider need to feel well to perform well – it's all connected.”

“Safety is another huge point for us, because it is a sport where a lot can happen,” Fredricson concludes. “It's all fine until you or somebody you know has a really bad fall. Until something bad happens, it is easy not to care, but if I in some way can push our sport to a more cautious direction, I will be happy. I have kids and I want to take responsibility for creating a better future for our sport by sharing my knowledge and experience. I’ve always been curious about these aspects, so Bhoof itself is not so much of a separate project for me – it’s just an extension of something that has always interested me.” 

3.4.2024 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.