Text © World of Showjumping

They were untouchable: Germany’s Richard Vogel and his phenomenal 13-year-old stallion United Touch S (Untouched x Lux Z) – bred and owned by Julius-Peter Sinnack – were crowned 2025 European Champions in A Coruña, Spain, on Sunday. A title the two were more than deserving of after having created one of the most special partnerships of international showjumping through the last decade, if not more. 

On a petit penalty score of 0.01, the two did not touch a fence at Casas Novas Equestrian Center this week. With polished performances from start to finish, they earned themselves the gold medal, after having won team bronze for Germany on Friday. 

“I’m very, very, delighted with United and how he was fighting until the very last jump and how he was with me everywhere, and just super relieved we could really make that happen,” Vogel said afterwards. 

Sitting second coming into the individual final on 1.08 penalty points, Great Britain’s Scott Brash and the sensational 10-year-old mare Hello Folie (Luidam x Diamant de Semilly, bred by Claire Gouin, owned by Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham) added nothing to their score over today’s two rounds and secured their second silver of the championship. 

“She has just showed the world, I think, how talented she is this week,” Brash said about Hello Folie. “I always felt that she is going to be a top, top, horse, but until they actually come and do it at this level, you don’t really know. But she certainly proved that over this week, so I am delighted.”

Belgium’s Gilles Thomas and the 11-year-old stallion Ermitage Kalone (Catoki x Kannan, bred by Magali Dessalles, owned by Joris Van Dijck) moved up past Switzerland’s title-defender Steve Guerdat to take the bronze – their second medal in A Coruña after having claimed team gold on Friday.

“Coming home with two medals is a dream, actually,” Thomas said. “I always dreamed of having a medal at a big championship – and now I have one… Two!”

It was a particularly popular podium, with all three horses having a huge fan-base. While United Touch S is known for breaking the internet with his exuberant way of jumping, Ermitage Kalone has over the past two years become everyone’s darling on the international showjumping scene with his good looks and effortless style. The French-bred chestnut mare Hello Folie is the newcomer among them, having made herself famous this week with her larger-than-life character and her ability to make the seemingly impossible possible. 

Sunday’s individual final was as per the FEI rules jumped over two rounds, each judged as a Table A not against the clock. The 25 best-placed horse-and-rider combinations after the three previous rounds of competition at Casas Novas Equestrian Center had qualified for the first round of the individual final, while the second and last round was open to the 12 best-placed horse-and-rider combinations on the overall standings.

With the top thirteen sitting within a rail of each other, it was expected that today’s individual final would become an agonizingly close affair – especially when taking into account the quality of the 25 horses and riders that had made it through to Sunday.

Coming into the individual final, Richard Vogel was in the lead on a score of 0.01, followed by Scott Brash on 1.08, Steve Guerdat on 1.19, Gilles Thomas on 1.37 and Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts on 1.72. Then followed Switzerland’s Nadja Peter Steiner on 2.11, Ireland’s Seamus Hughes Kennedy on 2.16, Great Britain’s Ben Maher on 2.35, Switzerland’s Janika Sprunger on 2.41 and finally France’s Kevin Staut rounding off the top ten on 2.47. However, the following fifteen were breathing the top ten riders in the neck with only a rail in between Staut and Marcus Ehning who was 25th on the standings ahead of the individual final. In other words, absolutely anything could potentially happen. 

Except, it didn’t. 

Today was Vogel’s day, it was United Touch S’ well-deserved moment to shine – as it all came together for one of the most loved pairs on the circuit. 

However, to get there they first had to jump two clears over two demanding tracks designed by Spain’s mastermind Santiago Varela – and endure what seemed like endless amounts of pressure as the competition unfolded. 

Santiago Varela’s first-round 1.60m track consisted of twelve fences and fifteen efforts with all the championship elements included; the wall at no. 2, the open water at no. 6 on a bent line from the previous oxer, followed by one of the most difficult parts of the course which was a choice of either five or six very short strides to 7ab with two tall 1.62-63m uprights – either would make it difficult to clear the double. Towards the very end of the course, a triple combination waited, followed by five strides to a very delicate plank on the last fence, which measured 1.63m.

With eight clear rounds delivered by the thirteen first horse-and-rider combinations in the ring, the pressure was increasing on those in front – a rail would quite certainly be very costly. Approaching the top ten, Germany’s Sophie Hinners and Iron Dames My Prins (Zilverstar T x Winningmood) – 11th overnight – made a good climb up ahead of the second round when posting their third clear of the championship, adding nothing to their score of 3.21. Great Britain’s Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly (Cap Kennedy x L’arc de Triomphe) also managed to keep the course intact despite a couple of rubs along the way, keeping on 2.35 penalty points ahead of Hinners. Ireland’s Seamus Hughes Kennedy and ESI Rocky (Stakkato Gold x For Pleasure), however, fell victim to the time allowed and with one penalty they dropped down behind Maher on a score of 3.16. 

Among the top five, three riders managed to answer all the questions asked of Varela. After a rail in the triple combination for Nicola Philippaerts and Katanga vh Dingeshof (Cardento x Tornedo FCS), their compatriot Gilles Thomas and crowd favourite Ermitage Kalone jumped their fourth clear of the championship – doing no damage to their score of 1.37. That would be good enough to move them up on the standings, as Steve Guerdat – defending his 2023-title in A Coruña – had to see the plank on the last upright hit the sand as Albführen’s Iashin Sitte (Bamako de Muze x Tinka’s Boy) became a bit flat at the very end of the course. 

Second last in the ring, Scott Brash and the wonderful Hello Folie brought everyone to the edge of their seats yet again with another spectacular performance – and with a bit of luck on the oxer at no. 5, where the back pole took a proper jump in the cups. This special chestnut mare has her own way of going, which adds another dimension to the excitement every time she enters the ring. Keeping on their score of 1.08 with another clear, there was absolutely no room for a fault from Richard Vogel’s side as last to go. However, Vogel had made himself a plan and stuck to it – with United Touch again jumping a convincing clear round, his fourth of the championship. That kept them on their score on 0.01 and in the lead ahead of round two. 

With Scott Brash on 1.08, Gilles Thomas on 1.37, Ben Maher on 2.35, Seamus Hughes Kennedy on 3.16, Sophie Hinners on 3.21, Darragh Kenny on 3.91, Kim Emmen on 4.13, Jessica Mendoza on 4.55, Thibeau Spits on 4.56, Donald Whitaker on 4.67, and Steve Guerdat now on 5.19, absolutely anything could still happen as the last round got underway. It was all to play for, or as Brash said in the mixed zone after the first round: “What will be, will be.”

To be, it was. 

While Emmen, Kenny, Hinners, Hughes Kennedy and Maher all were foot-perfect with clears over Varela’s ten-fence track for the second round – the pressure did not get to either Thomas, Brash or Vogel. One by one, they exhibited nerves of steel, and particularly powerful partnerships with their horses as they tackled the last course of the week in A Coruña. While Gilles Thomas and Ermitage Kalone made it look effortless and easy, Scott Brash and Hello Folie once again brought a bit extra excitement with them on the very last line as they came flying down on a long distance to the penultimate upright – but by now we know there’s nothing Folie cannot do, she cleared the fence as she has cleared every other fence throughout the week at Casas Novas. 

Now, it would all come down to Vogel and United Touch S. 

In a pure demonstration of accuracy, harmony, precision, power, and style, the two were somehow other-worldly today as they floated around the course. But Vogel is a man very much connected to reality, and as he crossed the finish-line he did not hesitate to immediately credit his once-in-a-lifetime stallion who with a fifth clear round had just earned them the gold medal, and all the glory that comes with being crowed European Champions. 

At the following prize giving ceremony, Vogel also credited his long-time groom Felicia Wallin – who plays a major part in United Touch’s success – by putting the gold medal around her neck, before he took off for his victory gallop. 

“He jumped amazing and performed better than I could wish for,” Richard Vogel said about United Touch. “I think everyone knows United Touch – probably also prior to this week, but latest now everyone saw how amazing he is,” Vogel said. “When we first started, his enormous stride and enormous scope was for sure a big strength of him, but also, at the same moment a kind of weakness, because in those technical courses, and now in this championship, everything got asked from those horses. And there are always some lines where we have to shorten our strides and where he needs to slow down, use his body and put his stride together. For him that is certainly not easy, but I am just so happy how he managed.” 

“I think it just shows how much the sport has grown together and how tight everything is,” Vogel said about the small margins in Sunday’s final. “Santi from day to day tried to separate us a little more and a little more. And every day, we walked the course and thought ‘oh, today, it is going to be a problem’, and still there were a lot of clear rounds. I don’t think he did anything wrong, not at all, I think it was very challenging rounds, but the facility is spectacular, the surface is in top shape, which is then the best environment for our horses and they just kept jumping clear rounds. I’m really happy and glad that United did the same and that I didn’t do anything wrong and could give my whole team such a gold medal,” Vogel said.  

“I have a special horse,” bronze medallist Gilles Thomas said about Ermitage Kalone. “He looks easy, but he also is easy – he listens so well. This week he was in very good shape, and he takes all the pressure away from me. I ride him now already for four-five years and we start to know each other inside out, and we have a bit more experience. I think this week, it helped us.” 

“It has been eventful,” double silver medallist Scott Brash smiled when talking about his week. “I was glad I managed to keep hold of the reins today! Going into the final round, I was happy with the second team round on Friday – she just felt really good, and after having the drama the day before, to bounce back and jump around like nothing had happened felt very good and gave me a lot of confidence going into today. But I didn’t know what this man [Santiago Varela] was going to build, and these are certainly the biggest courses she has jumped so far in her life. I think it has been a great championship to sort of look after a young horse and I feel like she has grown up in a week and she is certainly going to use this championship to grow for the future.”