World number one thanks fans for ‘so much love’ as he shares health update on United Touch S
Reigning European champion United Touch S is “going in the right direction” after developing a serious infection last month.
The horse’s rider, Richard Vogel, shared a condition update on Sunday (8 November), following his World Cup win in Verona aboard Gangster Mondesir.
“Luckily [United Touch S] is doing better and improving in small steps, but he is going in the right direction,” he said.
“It’s a big relief and it makes it a bit easier to focus on the job. Sport wise I can’t complain at all. I have an incredible string of horses, an incredible team of people supporting me and having my back so I couldn’t be happier or prouder of my horses and my whole team.
“United for us of course is a once-in-a-lifetime horse, but for many [other] people as well. After people heard what happened to him, we got so many nice and kind messages and so much love from all over the equestrian world and that really made us emotional.
“It was nice to see how many people think of United Touch, care about United Touch and I can assure all of them we are doing our best to get him as healthy as possible as quickly as possible but we should not rush, give him all the time in the world. We have the best vets taking care of him. It means a lot that he is so thought of.”
On 27 October, Richard announced that the world team gold medal-winner was “under veterinary care after developing an infection that requires ongoing treatment and close monitoring”.
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“At this stage, it is too early to determine the timeline for his recovery. United’s health and well-being are, and will remain, our absolute priority,” he said at the time.
Sunday’s update is welcome news. The 14-year-old stallion, owned by Julius-Peter Sinnack, has been a mainstay of the German team in recent years. As well as the individual title and team bronze he scooped at the 2025 Europeans, he also helped Germany to team gold at the home World Championships this summer, competed at the 2024 Olympics, and helped his country to win the 2023 Nations Cup and 2024 League of Nations finals.
He and Richard have won five-star grands prix across the world, including Aachen, Geneva and at the Dutch Masters, plus World Cup legs.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.