Richard, Graf von Schaesberg-Thannheim

Richard, Count von Schaesberg-Thannheim, was an active officer in the Royal Prussian Army and an eventer. He was the second son of Count Heinrich and grew up on Krickenberg Castle near Düsseldorf. In 1911, von Schaesberg-Thannheim was a member of the German team at the tournament in London celebrating the coronation of King George V. He came in fifth in the individual part of the three-day-event at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics on his horse Grundsee, and won silver in the team event. Von Schaesberg-Thannheim served as an instructor at the Military Riding Institute in Hannover.

After serving in World War I, von Schaesberg-Thannheim was taken prisoner by the French but was released in 1919. He was discharged on his own request but was allowed to continue wearing the uniform of a cavalry captain of the Uhlan regiment. During the following years, he lived alternately at Krickenbeck Castle and Tannheim Castle.

In 1922, von Schaesberg-Thannheim suffered a serious accident in a bobsleigh race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which left his left knee stiff and put an end to his sporting activities. He began travelling the world, including Mexico, Africa and many European countries and remained unmarried. In 1935, he was awarded the Honour Cross for front-line veterans, but due to his injury, he was exempted from service in World War II.

Von Schaesberg-Thannheim was a member of the Sovereign Order of Malta, eventually reaching the rank of an honorary knight. In 1952, he visited Italy, where he suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered. His injured left leg had to be amputated. Two months before his death, he was awarded the Silver Pin of the German Olympic Committee for Equestrian Sports.