– I work fairly close to Peder, and when you have a brother who is world number one, you get a lot of his thinking, says Jens Fredricson.
54-year-old Jens Fredricson gives a detailed description of how he – after inspiration from five years younger Peder Fredricson – now thinks about how he should ride a jumping track. The cornerstones are less emotion and instead a detailed plan for each gallop inside the track. And of course a careful analysis after each ride.
It is high-level geekiness, but also the explanation for the brothers Fredricson’s success. Both are driven by constantly challenging themselves, and what is common. No detail is too small to be questioned.
– Yes, we like to analyze things, says Jens Fredricsson with a laugh.
When the laughter has subsided, he continues:
– Even if I had not made a new venture as a rider, I would have been just as interested in things like this. In my role as a trainer, I will train the next generation of riders, and in order to give them the right tools, you must constantly update your knowledge.
– When little brother Peder Fredricson came home from the Olympics in Tokyo with two medals, the proud big brother Jens gave a tribute speech.
Photo: Christoffer Borg Mattisson / Bildbyrån
For just ten years since it was big brother Jens who was the hottest of the two brothers. Jens participated in the Olympics in 2012, and took the European Championship bronze in team 2013.
But about the same time as little brother Peder’s career began to go up, Jens chose to step down in the international competition.
Instead, he invested in the job as stablemaster at Strömsholm and Flyinge, with responsibility for equestrian art, sports and horse training. In addition, he formed a family and is today the father of two children.
With the brothers’ close relationship, however, Jens Fredricson has closely followed the development of the sport and when he just over five years ago had the opportunity to train two horses with great capacity, Markans Cosmopolit and Karmel v / d Watering, the step back to top sports was not so great.
– That I have two horses at a high level that I can match side by side means a lot. The horses have very good owners who have given me the opportunity to ride them for a long time. Which is a prerequisite for taking a step forward, says Jens Fredricson.
– In recent years, Jens Fredricson has spent a lot of time developing things in his riding.
Photo: Christian Örnberg / Expressen / TT
The Jens Fredricson who is back on the big stage is an even better rider than when he left it.
– I have put a lot of focus on developing a number of things in my riding, including my riding technique (the road to the obstacle). Something that has made me have a better position in the air over the obstacle, he says.
– It is a pretty big change to make in, so to speak, senior age, but I feel that it has made a big difference.
This week’s World Cup final is Jens Fredricson’s third final. The first he already 25 years ago.
A lot has happened since then in Swedish show jumping. Sweden, which won Olympic gold in teams in Tokyo, is today a top nation in jumping.
– When I rode my first final, no one could imagine that a Swedish show jumper could win. Now you no longer need to be ashamed as a Swedish rider if you think “I’m going to win that World Cup final”.
Jens Fredricson tells when he met Henrik von Eckermann, who was part of the Swedish gold team in Tokyo, and they talked about the upcoming final.
– Henrik was immediately on me and said that I could not aim too low in the final. It is an attitude that is developing for everyone. It also shows that even though this is an individual sport, you get incredible support from the others.
– Jens Fredricson talks about the change in attitude that has happened in Swedish show jumping.
Photo: Christian Örnberg / Expressen / TT
Starting on Thursday The final is decided in Leipzig, Germany.
– My horse has felt very nice so it will be really fun to see how far we can reach, says Jens Fredricson who will ride Cosmopolit.
This will be the first World Cup final to be decided since 2019. In 2020, the final was canceled due to the pandemic, and last year it could not be carried out due to the horse virus EHV-1, which is also called the abortion virus.
The pandemic has also marked this World Cup season. Several competitions were canceled, but Jens Fredricson secured his final place early thanks to, among other things, a podium place in one of the first competitions.
In the final, Fredricson is joined by another Swedish rider, Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli. None of the three gold riders from Tokyo, however, have bet on the World Cup this year.
Although the World Cup final has been a big goal for the 54-year-old, he has an even bigger goal in sight later this year, namely to be selected for the World Cup in Herning, Denmark in August.
– As I said, the competition in Sweden is tough, but it is definitely a goal that we are working towards.
This week, the World Cup final in dressage will also be decided in Leipzig, where Patrik Kittel is the Swedish hope.
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