Franziska Fries' Atomic Retired from Sport

Dressage

Austria

Franziska Fries' first Grand Prix horse and heart horse Atomic has been retired from sport.

Atomic is a 19-year old KWPN gelding by Florencio out of Uvolie CC (by Farrington x Damiro B).

Luxembourg

He is bred by the duo S. Tucker Bourdin (FRA) and Tracy Vosloo (GBR) and he was originally named Atticus.

Atomic made his show debut in 2014 under Sascha Schulz and was owned by a Luxembourg group of investors. Their CDI debut followed in an Intermediaire II at the 2015 CDI Cappeln. A year later he did his first international Grand Prix test at the 2016 CDI Mannheim and went on to show in Lipica, Brno, Cappeln and Biarritz.

Franziska Fries

In the winter of 2016-2017 Atomic sold to Austrian Franziska Fries, who at the time was competing Alassio's Boy in the senior small tour but was searching for a horse to take her into the Grand Prix ranks.

The new pair made its CDI show debut in the Under 25 division at the 2017 CDI Wiener Neustadt and that year represented Austria at the European Under 25 Championships in Lamprechtshausen; where they were 16th in the Short Grand Prix. A year later they returned to the 2018 European Under 25 Championships in Exloo and placed 12th in the Kur to Music finals.

As of 2019, Fries is a senior rider and competing in the classic Grand Prix tour with starts in Ebreichsdorf, Lipica, Achleiten, Brnon Fot, and Salzburg. Their last international was in Hagen in the CDI tour during the European Champonships, where they won the Kur to Music. They finished the year with bronze at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix Championships.

U25 Schoolmaster

In the autumn of 2021 Atomic moved on as a U25 schoolmaster for Austrian Florian Artner.

The new duo premiered internationally at the CDI Ornago in march 2022 and competed that year in the U25 classes in Gössendorf, St. Margarethen, Olomouc, and Samorin for the rider to gain mileage and experience. Their last international was in Gössendorf in April 2023 where they were rung out.

Atomic disappeared from the show scene and returned a year later at national level at the CDN Stadl Paura in April 2024 with Thomas Chalupsky-Fries on board at medium tour level. This pair competed at a handful of national shows, their last in a Grand Prix test in Stadl Paura on 12 October 2024.

Retirement

On 13 December Fries announced that Atomic has been retired from sport.

"Thank you for everything my friend. You still conjure a smile on my face every single day. At the of your 19th year it is time for your retirement. I look forward to many wonderful years with my clown."