"I'm very proud to be here and represent Germany with United and Richie,” Felicia Wallin says about being at the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship 2025. Photos © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping.
Text © World of Showjumping
“I’m very proud to be here and represent Germany with United and Richie,” Felicia Wallin tells World of Showjumping at the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship 2025. For the last five years, Felicia has worked alongside Germany’s Richard Vogel and United Touch S, a pair that tops the individual standings ahead of Friday’s team final in A Coruña, Spain.
“We came here together with the horses from Sophie Hinners,” Felicia tells about the long travel to Spain. “We travelled together from Germany and did one stop on the way. It's quite a long travel for the horses, so we made sure to do a good layover and let them rest and move their bodies. We always make sure that the horses have a nice big place in the truck, so that they can stand in the way that suits them, to make sure they feel comfortable during the trip. We also stop to give them mash and water throughout the drive. We are used to travelling a lot with our horses, and we know what we have to do to keep them fit. Everyone arrived very well in A Coruña.”
The venue hosting the 2025 Europeans, Casas Novas Equestrian Center, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. “The venue here is amazing,” Felicia says. “It's really good for the horses, with big open areas, nice air and permanent stables which are nice and easy to work with.”
"I'm very happy with the way United feels in his body and in his mind, he's in great shape at the moment," Felicia says.
Ahead of Friday’s team final, Vogel and United Touch lead the way individually, while Team Germany sits second. “I'm very happy with United and Richie so far,” Felicia says. “I think they have done a good job. United is not a speed horse exactly, he is more for the big jumps, so I hope that we have gotten through the hardest part. I'm very happy with the way United feels in his body and in his mind, he's in great shape at the moment.”
“This is our first European Championship,” she continued. “We started out a little bit rough with the Olympics in Paris as our first championship. We did the World Cup Final before that, but our first championship with the team was the Olympics last year, where United and Richie also did good. You can feel the pressure is on again – it's always such a different atmosphere at a championship than at a normal show. For sure we feel that we have a little bit more meat on our bones here than what we did in Paris; we feel a little bit more comfortable at the big stage now than one year ago.”
"I'm super blessed to have such great people around me all day," Felicia says about Team Germany. "We all support each other.”
The atmosphere within the German squad is good. “The team we have here is amazing,” Felicia explains. “In general, we have a lot of good riders, horses and grooms in the German team. I have the feeling that whenever we go to a Nations Cup, we always have a great time with the grooms and with the riders. The people I have here with me are really good friends of mine, which of course makes everything easier, nicer and smoother for the week. I'm super blessed to have such great people around me all day. We all support each other.”
“It's still a long way and a lot of jumping left,” Felicia reflects on her expectations for the rest of the week in A Coruña. “I think we got off to a good start and usually the big courses that we have left to jump suit United. However, a lot can happen and it's easy to have one or two fences down – so I don't get my hopes up yet.”
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