Andrea’s early training was in jumping, and he had no initial interest in Western riding. When he and his father, Sergio, were encouraged by a friend to attend their first reining lesson, they were skeptical. Dressing like cowboys felt theatrical—something reserved for the movies. But once Andrea experienced the athleticism, precision, and discipline of reining firsthand, he was instantly hooked.

At a time when reining was still uncommon in Italy, Andrea’s relentless work ethic—paired with the belief and support of his parents, Sergio and Maddalissa Fappani—set him on a determined path forward. He trained first with Alberto Serena, followed by guidance from his father, and began earning checks at just ten years old. Early horses demanded maturity well beyond his age, shaping the patience, feel, and responsibility that would later define his horsemanship.

Understanding the importance of learning from others, Andrea sought out mentorship wherever possible. Influential horsemen such as Mike Davis, Scott Fisher, Jim Kiser, and later Tim McQuay and Doug Milholland, each contributed to his growing foundation and understanding of elite-level training.

By the age of fourteen, Andrea had already achieved major success, winning the Italian Non Pro Derby and the Italian Championship title. In 1991, he made his first trip to the United States—an experience that would ultimately change the direction of his life. Encouraged by idol Craig Johnson, and later introduced to Todd Bergen, Andrea began to envision a future beyond Italy.

After winning the Italian Futurity in 1996, Andrea received his parents’ blessing to move to the United States, settling in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 1997, he captured the Limited Non Pro Championship at the original NRHA Futurity in Oklahoma City aboard Best Buy. That same year, Andrea met Tish Wood, who would become his wife and lifelong partner.

Andrea then entered one of the most formative chapters of his career, working for reining icon Todd Bergen for four years. During this time, Andrea immersed himself in every aspect of elite horsemanship—training, preparation, competition, and daily discipline—refining the skills and mindset required at the highest level of the sport. Andrea remained under Todd Bergen’s guidance through the end of 2001, a period that would prove pivotal to his future success.

While serving mandatory military duty in Italy, Andrea and Tish maintained a long-distance relationship. Upon returning to the United States, Andrea earned over $23,000 as a Non Pro, before making his professional debut. In 2001, while still working under Todd Bergen, Andrea achieved a career-defining milestone—winning his first NRHA Futurity Open Championship, marking the true launch of a historic professional career. He and Tish were married shortly thereafter.

Family has always remained central to Andrea’s life. In 2004, Andrea and Tish welcomed their first son, Luca, who would later make a significant mark of his own in the reining industry. In 2006, they celebrated the birth of their second son, Jeremy, the same year Andrea became the youngest rider in history to surpass $1 million in NRHA earnings.

From there, Andrea’s career accelerated into truly record-setting territory, earning multiple NRHA Futurity Open Championships and numerous NRBC Championships, along with dozens of Open and Reserve titles. Along the way, Andrea made history as the first rider in NRHA history to surpass $7 million, $8 million, and $9 million in lifetime earnings—ultimately breaking the unprecedented $10 million mark, a milestone never before achieved.

In 2009, Jim and Warren invited Andrea to manage the legendary Rancho Oso Rio, relocating operations in 2011. Andrea later represented Italy on the international stage, earning Individual Silver at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.

There are trainers who can get a horse trained faster than I can, but I believe the horses I train last longer. That’s because they’re ridden consistently — six days a week — for nearly two years. There are no shortcuts in training if you want a horse to be solid in the end.

Knowing what kind of horse you’re on is one of the most important parts of training. By that, I mean understanding the kind of mind a horse has from the very beginning so you can help them reach their highest potential. A lazier horse may need to be pushed harder to realize what they’re capable of, while a sensitive horse requires more care and feel. From years of experience, I can usually read a horse’s mind within the first few rides, but no two horses are ever the same. I try to keep an open mind every time I get on a new one.

There’s nothing more rewarding to me than feeling a horse truly understand what I’m asking and give me everything they have.

Teaching horses is what I’ve done for most of my life, and I genuinely enjoy every day I get to train. I take pride in working with horses that are very different from one another — especially when I can help a horse perform better than anyone thought possible. I do push my horses, but I also have a great deal of respect for them and carefully manage the amount and intensity of work they’re asked to do.

I love a horse that comes out every day wanting to please you, but I get just as much satisfaction from training one that’s more challenging. One of the most important things to remember in training is that every horse is an individual, and each one must start from “zero.” As trainers, we ride many horses each day, and it’s easy to forget that the horse doesn’t know what we’ve already done with others. It’s our responsibility to show them — not assume.

We get comfortable running the same program horse after horse, but to do a truly good job, you have to begin at the beginning with every new horse. One of the hardest things to accomplish is getting a horse truly broke at every speed of every maneuver without burning them out.

A good reiner is a horse that knows what’s expected of him 100% of the time, never refuses, and — most importantly — is still happy to do his job.