19 September 2024

Fred Freund died

Former four-in-hand driver Fred Freund has died at the age of 74. Fred Freund had been in the box seat since his early childhood. He trained and coached numerous horses for driving. He supported his brother, driving legend Michael Freund, a lot and was often his navigator in the early years.

In the 1970s, Fred Freund won several European Championship team medals and was part of the German silver team at the 1976 World Championships. In total, he was German four-in-hand champion twice (1969, 1977) and national vice-champion five times, and multiple champion of Hessen with pair and four-in-hand, most recently in 2013.

Fred Freund presented his father’s second four-in-hand at competitions as early as the age of 15. At the age of 17, he competed for the first time – as the youngest participant to date – at the CHIO in Aachen, finishing second in the overall classification. In 1976, he won Aachen and was immortalised on the wall of the Aachen jury tower. That same year, the man from Neu-Isenburg won the German Derby in Hamburg and the CAI in Donaueschingen, and a year later the German four-horse championships.

Fred Freund officially quit driving in 2009 in Riesenbeck. Until shortly after his wife’s death, he ran a bakery in Neu-Isenburg.

Our sympathy goes out to his family and friends

Source: Pferd Aktuell
Photo: Stefan Lafrentz