The Cowboy Channel Exclusive: Andrea Fappani and Bond 007 Steal the Spotlight

Andrea Fappani talks to The Cowboy Network

Introduction

Few things capture the heart of reining fans like a rare, once-in-a-lifetime partnership between rider and horse. When The Cowboy Channel invited us to share the story of Andrea Fappani and the remarkable stallion Bond 007, we jumped at the chance. Their recent back-to-back wins in Las Vegas and Tulsa have already become the stuff of arena legend, and this conversation offered an inside look at the talent, athleticism, and sheer connection that make 007 such a standout.

Full Interview Transcript

The Cowboy Channel (0:00) Andrea Fappani, thank you so much for being here again on the show. Thank you.

Andrea Fappani (0:05) Thank you for having me.

The Cowboy Channel (0:07) You know, I could talk about a million different things—that you've won all of the money, all of the accolades, all of the titles—but you've had some of the greatest horses in your barn, and some for not even that long. I kind of want to talk about what we just witnessed, not only in Las Vegas, but also in Tulsa, with 007. How special is that little horse?

Andrea Fappani (0:27) He definitely ranks as one of the most special, even if I've only showed him a couple times. You know, he's done a couple of runs for me, and we put together some maneuvers that I haven't been able to do in a long time, if ever. So you know, it never seems to stop growing, and the quality of horses that I get keeps improving and improving and improving. And I've never even thought it was possible for some horses to do what they're doing today. And he's definitely proof of it. You know, I've only been on him for a few months, but we clicked right away, and we decided to go show at a high level right away. And it paid off, and we had two amazing runs back to back. So I couldn't be more proud.

The Cowboy Channel (1:04) So much ability packed in that tiny body right there. You just mentioned that there's some maneuvers that you haven't really been able to complete. Kind of dive into a little bit of detail with that. Is that happening in the arena? We talked about the slides, the spins. What exactly are you alluding to right there?

Andrea Fappani (1:19) Well, what I'm talking about is that this horse here is, like you say, he's in the little bodies—he's a tiny little horse—but he's so powerful and so athletic. I haven't experienced a horse that can be as explosive as he is, but also as quiet as he is. You know, his mind is great. He's with you the whole time. So he could definitely be a non pro horse to where, if you don't push him, like you see right now, he'll look around on the great brain and he doesn't want to go anywhere. But then the minute he knows that you're asking him to do an explosive maneuver, he's just zero from 100 in like one second. It's, you know, it's hard to describe, but that's what pushes us as trainers and horsemen to keep going and keep improving our methods. Because once you get a chance to have a horse like this, you want to be prepared for it. And like I said, I've ridden some amazing horses through my career, and they got me where I am today. But, you know, a horse like this—it's something that I haven't experienced in a long time, and it's, you know, at my age right now, sometimes you doubt, how long do you keep going? How long do you keep pushing it? But then a horse like this comes around, and you know that you're at the right place at the right time.

The Cowboy Channel (2:20) It's really special to ride those special ones. And honestly, like we talked about before the interview, sometimes those horses, they know just how good they are. And like you said, when it's go time—but the Vargo family put him into your hands for a reason, and it's obviously showing right now. But what's that experience like when you walk him into the warm up pen? Is he walking in there the way he walks into the barn? What's his demeanor like to be around?

Andrea Fappani (2:43) Well, it changes a lot from the day-to-day routine to the horse show. I mean, like you said, some of these special horses, they know when it's show time, and they act a little bit different. I think that they know that they're not a common horse. They have something about them that makes people look at them. They love the attention. And this is a perfect example here. This is a horse that at home, I knew he was great. I mean, I knew he was a really nice horse, but I didn't know how much he could do until I actually showed him the first time in Vegas when the lights turned on and I loved him in that arena, I had a lot more animal underneath me than I had outside. And, you know, like we say before, the special ones are like that. I've had great horses before that won big events, and they always surprised me a little bit the first time I showed them, because as much time as you spend on them, and as good of a horseman as you are—hoping that you are and understanding your horse—you don't know really what you've got until you go show him. And this is a horse that has shown under Gabriel Borges, my son Luca showed him once, it's a horse that was capable of doing it. But you never know, like I said, until you walk in the show pen. And as a good combination, is it a good fit with me? And this horse proved that it is. Meaning that we didn't have to have any warm up runs, we didn't have to really get used to each other in the show pen. And the minute I walked in, I knew I could leave my hand down and put the hammer down, and he performed at 100%.

The Cowboy Channel (4:03) It's so nice to have one that you can truly trust with everything, just like that. Because, I mean, they're competitors too, and I like to believe that these horses know, like you said, when it's game time and they're going to rise to the occasion. And those are some qualities that you hope that they pass on as well. He's six years old, and you said that he's already been standing as a stud. So are you hoping—these babies are pretty young right now—but do you think some of these qualities are going to continue pass through his lineage?

Andrea Fappani (4:27) Yeah, I think that to have a great stud, you definitely have to have a horse of this quality, and the fact that he's got the look, he's got the mind, and obviously the athletic ability that not very many horses have. When you have the combination of those three—you know, this is a horse that performs at a high level in the 230s type of runs time after time after time again. There's not very many horses that can do that. You know, I've had plenty of horses that you can prepare for a few months, and you can squeeze a great run out of them, but then you got to back them off and let them be. This is a horse—like we say—they went to Vegas and he won the $100,000 shootout, and then he only had about 10 days to come back and get hauled to Tulsa, and he showed right away in Tulsa and marked the same exact score. So for a horse to be able to mark the 78, 78.5 and be in the 230s back to back like that, it's telling me that he's got the quality to be a producer. So I can't wait. I mean, I think it's a horse that can be crossed with a lot of different mares, between his color, conformation and his ability. Like I said, I think, you know, he's going to be one that you can definitely cross to a lot of different types of horses and hopefully get the qualities that he has.

The Cowboy Channel (5:35) You know, excellence, both in and out of the arena. It's obviously very clear with Bond 007, and you guys just showed there at that Run for a Million, and that punched your ticket to the 2026 Run for a Million. So congratulations on that, but congratulations on everything that you've done. We're just inching closer and closer, and one of these days we'll get that $10 million rider interview very soon. But for what you've done with Bond, and thank you so much for joining us today. It's an honor to you.

Andrea Fappani (6:01) Well, thank you. It's an honor to ride a horse like that, and it's an honor to be able to showcase it to the fans out there.

Closing

Our sincere thanks to The Cowboy Channel for taking the time to spotlight Bond 007 and giving Andrea a platform to celebrate this extraordinary horse with fans everywhere. Opportunities like this remind us why we do what we do—honoring the horses who redefine what’s possible and the horsemen who guide them. We’re grateful to share 007’s journey with such an enthusiastic audience and can’t wait to see what the future holds for this exceptional team.