Astrid Neumayer's Zap Zap Retired from Sport

Dressage

Austria

The international Grand Prix horse Zap Zap has been retired from competition sport.

Zap Zap is a 17-year old Danish warmblood gelding by Zack out of Fauna (by Leonardo II x Go On Then xx).

He is bred by Danish trainer Morten Thomsen. The dam also produced Grand Prix horses Chablis (by Castro - Valentina Truppa) and Don Perignon (by Donnerhall - Jan & Dirk Viebrock), as well as Fabienne (by Don Schufro), who produced Grand Prix horse Zippo I.M. (Daniel Bachmann, Emma Hindle)

Junior Horse

He sold as a youngster to Austrian Dr. Ingrid Pretsch, who first allocated the ride to Austrian junior rider Maria Huber.

She made her CDI debut at junior level on the then 7-year old Zap Zap at the 2015 CDI Lamprechtshausen and went on to ride in Fot and Kaposvar that year. In 2016 the pair only rode national shows in Germany until the summer.

Franz Trischberger

In 2017 Zap Zap got a new rider in Franz Trischberger, who first campaigned him in the South of Germany, before introducing him to international Grand Prix level at the CDI Wiener Neustadt in the spring of 2019. Trischberger and Zap Zap competed at CDI's in Munich, Randhofen and Munich Indoor.

Due to corona, the 2020 show schedule got postponed but Franz last presented Zap Zap in competition in Wels in August. A fall-out between owner and rider led to the end of the partnership.

Astrid Neumayer

At the end of August 2020 Zap Zap moved in training with Astrid Neumayer's Pramwaldhof in Austria as an 2021 Olympic hopeful.

The new duo made its CDI debut in October 2020 in Ornago, posting a double win. In 2021 they campaigned in Salzburg, Hagen, Munich, Achleiten and Brno, and ended up being named first reserve for the Olympic team. they were nominated on the team for the 2021 European Championships in Hagen, where they finished 49th in the Grand Prix with 67.841%.

In 2022 the pair continued their push for a team spot with starts in Hagen, Stadl Paura, Munich, Brno, but were not even long listed for the 2022 World Championships with score no longer steady over 70%. However they were more consistent again in Samprin, Szilvasvarad and Frankfurt in the autumn of 2022.

In 2023 Neumayer and Zap Zap went to Stadl Paura, Munich, and Brno, Dielsdorf, Motesice, and Salzburg, but were not considered for the Austrian team. The pair rode two more CDI's in the spring of 2024 (Stadl Paura, Pilisjaszfalu)

Bouten and Stegars

Assistant rider Matthias Bouten took over the ride on Zap Zap and immediately showed him in June 2024 in Brno to similar scores (67 - 71%). Bouten, however, left Pramwaldhof in September 2024.

With Stegars at th 2025 Aachen Dressage Days

Owner Pretsch agreed for Finnish Terhi Stegars to get the ride on Zap Zap in July, two months after Stegars joined Pramwaldhof in May 2024. She debuted him in March 2025 in Motesice to a Grand Prix win (68.065%) and then went to Stadl Paura, St. Margarethen and finally the CDI Aachen Dressage Days. In the April and May shows the scores of the 17-year old Danish warmblood were downward trending.

Retirement

At the start of July Terhi announced the retirement of Zap Zap.

"It’s the end of a chapter for Zap Zap as he steps away from the competition arena," said Terhi. "At 17, he has had a solid and rewarding career—winning up to International Grand Prix with me, and bringing success and many unforgettable moments to both me and his former rider, Astrid Neumayer. I’ve been especially grateful to accompany him in his final year of competitions—it has been an honor to share that part of his journey."

Stegars continued, "while there was still the possibility of aiming for the European Championships this year, his owner Ingrid Pretsch and I felt this was the right time to let him retire from the sport. He’s happy, healthy, and ready to enjoy a well-earned new phase of life."