Nathalie Wahlund Returns to Second Home, the U.K.

Dressage

Sweden

Swedish Under 25 team rider Nathalie Wahlund has returned to her "second" home, the United Kingdom, after having worked on the European mainland for three years.

The 25-year old Wahlund has been working as a professional rider since 2017.

USA - Great Britain

Originally from Mälarhöjden near Stockholm, Wahlund chose a career in horses when a gap year led to much more. After graduating from high school and before picking up Law at University, she took a sabbatical which turned out to be life-changing.

She moves to Los Angeles, U.S.A. to become a working student for Swedish born Mette Rosencrantz. There she discovered she wanted a career in horses and in 2017 found a new job as an assistant trainer for British Grand Prix rider Vicky Thompson-Winfield at Oldencraig equestrian centre in the U.K. Thompson trained her from novice level to Grand Prix in less than three years.

In November 2017 she was matched to John Evans' KWPN gelding Cerano Gold (by Serano Gold x Lancelot) and he became her career making dressage horse. They represented Sweden at the 2019 European Under 25 Championships in San Giovanni in Marignano, where they were 16th in the Kur.

European Mainland

Wahlund left the U.K. right before Brexit and based herself temporarily with Warwick and Caroline McLean in Tönisvorst, Germany, before accepting a position at Mandy Zimmer's Windhof in Luxembourg.

She was lucky that Cerano Gold's owner offered her to take the horse with her.

At the 2021 Swedish Under 25 Championships she was fourth and at the 2021 European Under 25 Championships in Hagen she was 42nd in the short Grand Prix test.

Wahlund at the 2021 European U25 Championships

In January 2022 she received a job offer from Patrik Kittel and decided to leave Luxembourg for Germany to work as a rider at his barn. With Cerano Gold she went to the 2022 Swedish U25 Championships and landed 8th place. She was re-selected on the team for the 2022 European Under 25 Championships in Pilisjaszfalu, but got eliminated in the short Grand Prix after a 25th place in the Inter II on 67.794% and team bronze. It was the pair's last international together, so far.

Back to Britain

Wahlund has now announced that her stint in Europe is over and that she has returned to Britain. She moved to Horsham, West Sussex.

"I’m grateful for the time I had there (at Kittel) and I learned so much," she told Eurodressage. "But my heart beats for the UK, I’ve missed it every day since I moved and now made the decision to go “home”. I have like a second family over here and I’m really happy to back! I will focus on Cerano this year as it will be our first year as seniors and at the same time start up my own business."