Franz Trischberger and DSP James Bond No Longer a Combination

Dressage

Germany

German professional dressage rider Franz Trischberger has lost the ride on his number one in the barn, James Bond. The horse has moved back to Austria and is allocated to a Russian rider.

James Bond is a 14-year old Bavarian bred DSP gelding by Johnson out of Esconda (by Rasso x Mars x Mylord). He is bred by Franz-Josef Stöckl.

From Austria to Germany

James Bond's competition career started in Austria. The gelding made his first start in Germany in 2017 as a 7-year old under Bernhard Strasser.

As of 2019 Franz Trischberger began competing him after he received the ride through his then-partner, Austrian Christrian Lanterdinger, who is friends and business partners with the breeder. Christian rode James Bond's full sister Exupery before she sold to Italy as a JR-YR horse for Rachele Bancora. Trischberger began training the horse under Lanterdinger's supervision.

Franz Trischberger

At the 2022 German Championships
(Photo © Barbara Schnell)

In May 2019 Franz and James Bond premiered at Intermediaire II leel at the national show in Steyr (AUT) and a month later they rode their first Grand Prix test in Munich. They actively competed at many CDN shows in Germany and Austria before making their CDI debut in Mannheim in April 2021 where they posted 70.913% in the Grand Prix. they went to CDI's in Munich, Herzlake, and Ornago that year.

They kicked off 2022 in Stadl Paura and after showing in Mannheim and Munich, they caught the attention of the German team selectors and invited him to the German team selection trial at the German Dressage Championships in Balve, where they finished 9th in the Kur to Music. They got also invited to the second trial, the CDIO Aachen, but were eliminated in the Grand Prix.

A nine month break from international showing followed but in 2023 they returned to the arena with CDI starts in Ornago, Stadl Paura, Mannheim, Wiesbaden, and their last show together, the CDI Salzburg in December, where they posted 71.000% in the Grand Prix and 78.920% in the freestyle.

As a combination they recorded six international victories out of 27 international starts.

Austria Olympic Team Candidate?

In December 2023 breeder Stöckl agreed to declare the horse for Austria by registering Christian Lanterdinger as co-owner, suggesting they were on the verge of a rider switch as Lanterdinger could ride the horse for a spot on the Austrian Olympic team.

Lanterdinger told Eurodressage at the time, "with the Olympic year approaching quickly, we wanted to keep all options, so that Franz-Josef Stöckl wanted to register me as a Co-owner. Actually there are no specific plans to break up the couple Franz Trischberger & James Bond."

Active Retirement

Lyban and Erantos at the 2017 European
Junior Riders Championships

Three months later, Trischberger and James Bond are no longer a pair.

"Franz Trischberger and James Bond had five very successful years together, culminating in last season, where they won six international GP & GP freestyles, scoring over 80%, and were ranked 39th in the FEI Dressage World Ranking at the end of 2023! It was a wonderful and humbling experience and made us very grateful," Lanterdinger and Stöckl told Eurodressage.

They continued, "there is a saying in Germany 'Man soll aufhören wenn’s am Schönsten ist!' which means you should stop when it's at its best! And in our opinion this moment is often overlooked in equestrian sport. James owes us nothing and we owe him everything, so last year we decided that this one-in-a-million horse could retire at the place where he was born 14 years ago! We have therefore ruled out selling him."

U25 Schoolmaster

A full retirement from sport is not planned for the 14-year old.

"We think that a season like the 2023 season will be difficult to repeat or even top. That's why, after careful consideration, we looked for a new challenge for "Jamsi", where he could put his experience and reliability to good use with an inexperienced U25 rider," they said. "That's why, after careful consideration, we looked for a new challenge for "Jamsi", where he could put his experience and reliability to good use with an inexperienced U25 rider."

The horse has been allocated to Lanterdinger's student, the Bavarian based, Russian former Young Rider Elizaveta Heik (née Lyban).

"We are all looking forward to the new challenges and the wonderful experiences and moments the future will bring," said Lanterdinger. "For the time being, horse and rider will get to know each other thoroughly and form a good and solid basis for their future cooperation. When they are both ready, we will start planning competitions and take the first steps towards the U25 Grand Prix."

Lyban and Solid Gold at the 2021 European
Young Riders Championships in Oliva Nova

The 23-year Lyban has been competing internationally for 10 years on a string of horses across the youth divisions. She began in the children division on Helga (by Gorkhvost), but also showed the oversized pony Don't Thatch W (by Don't Worry x Brilliant). Her steady partner through the levels was Erantos (by Ekvador) whom she began showing as of 2015 in the Children class and who took her up to Young Riders. Other horse she showed were Elena Trius' First Malu (by Furst Heinrich x Rubinstein) and Solid Gold (by Sungold x Grannox).

On Erantos Lyban represented Russia at the 2015 European Children Championship (8th individually), 2016 and 2017 European Junior Riders Championships (25th, 37th in the individual test), the 2019 and 2020 European Young Riders Championships (36th and 37th in the individual test). At the 2021 European YR Championships she and Solid Gold were eliminated. Their last international start was in August 2021 in Samorin on Solid Gold and Fine Design S (by Furstenball x K2).

In 2022 Russian athletes were banned from FEI competition due to the invasion and war in Ukraine. Both Solid Gold and Fine Design S are now registered under German ownership (Victor Heik) so that they are unblocked for competition with the FEI. Lanterdinger showed Fine Design S at the CDI Ornago at small tour level in September 202";

Eurodressage reached out to Trischberger who declined to comment.