Jens Fredricson, stable master at RS Flyinge and vice chair of the Professor Ingvar Fredricson Foundation, shares his fundamental principles for training young horses — with welfare as the guiding principle throughout.
In this film from the Agria Flyinge Horse Welfare series, Jens Fredricson shares his approach to developing young horses from the ground up. The focus is on building a sustainable horse by strengthening both physical and mental capacity from an early age.
Jens emphasises the importance of riding the horse forward, in balance and with clear direction, while giving the young horse time to understand what is being asked of it. He also highlights the value of riding outdoors as much as possible — across varied terrain and on different surfaces — to develop the horse's natural coordination, confidence, and willingness to go forward.
By combining consistent foundational riding with training in varied environments, the result is a calm, willing young horse with the right tools to develop toward future performance. Throughout, Jens returns to a principle central to the foundation's own mission: training load and progression should always be adapted to the individual horse, and the horse's welfare should always come first.
Video in Swedish.
At Flyinge’s Horse Welfare Summit, the Professor Ingvar Fredricson Foundation awarded its 2026 scholarship to Dr Andrew McLean, recognising his pioneering work in equitation science and his longstanding contribution to equine welfare.
%20copy.png)
Two days. One shared goal: advancing horse welfare through science, education and practice. Join leading international experts at the Horse Welfare Summit 2026, where Dr Andrew McLean will deliver two keynote lectures and receive the Professor Ingvar Fredricson Foundation Scholarship.
A new review examines how smartphones are becoming genuine tools for monitoring a horse's soundness, heart rate and recovery, and even for meeting international competition requirements. Among the systems it highlights is Sleip, co-founded by Dr. Elin Hernlund, one of the Foundation's own scholarship recipients, whose work builds on decades of Swedish equine biomechanics research going back to Professor Ingvar Fredricson himself.
On November 2, visitors gathered in Hall B at the Jönköping Horse Show for the Professor Ingvar Fredricson Foundation’s 2025 scholarship ceremony, celebrating groundbreaking Swedish research in equine biomechanics. From the pioneering efforts of the 1970s—when high‑speed cameras and manual measurements were the researcher’s tools—to today’s AI‑powered motion analysis and robotic hoof simulators, the audience was taken on a journey through decades of innovation. Professors Lars Roepstorff and Marie Rhodin, together with Associate Professor Elin Hernlund, shared their latest breakthroughs, followed by live demonstrations showing how AI and high‑precision sensors are transforming the understanding of horse–rider interaction. Moderator Jens Fredricson guided the dialogue and inspired exchange between researchers, while post‑event discussions with attendees helped build valuable bridges between research and practice.