THE FEI Dressage European Championships 2025 saw a number of firsts. It was the first time for France to host these championships, with Jiva Hill Stables in Crozet providing the venue. It was also the first time for Belgium to win a medal at a major dressage championship, so for a Belgian rider to take two gold medals in one weekend was quite something!

That Belgian rider was Justin Verboomen, who rode his own stallion Zonik Plus to firstly win the Grand Prix Special last Friday against some of the best combinations in the world. Then, as if to prove that win wasn’t just down to luck, the pair incredibly also won the Grand Prix Freestyle to Music title on Sunday. In both classes, Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour took silver on board Mount St John Freestyle and Germany’s Isabell Werth claimed bronze riding Wendy De Fontaine.

The quality of the tests ridden was exceptional, with the high scores illustrating this, despite a few errors along the way. Verboomen set a personal best with his winning Freestyle score of 89.964%, but modestly said afterwards: “This result is a surprise for me. I am so proud, Zonik is still so young. Test after test I feel him becoming more mature. He is always attentive to me.”

Skilful

The top four in the class all scored over 86%, highlighting the skilful execution of the tests on the day. Renowned British riders Carl Hester (Fame) and Charlotte Fry (Glamourdale) were both out of contention, with Hester making a mistake in the two tempis and tension affecting Fry’s test. Following his test, Hester said: “Yes, I had a few old-man mistakes. The atmosphere here is fantastic, the crowd is very close which makes it quite exciting.”

Fellow Brit Becky Moody fared slightly better with her home-bred Jagerbomb, when their Beatles Freestyle test earned them a score of 86.982%. They finished just off the podium in fourth place.

Isabell Werth (GER) was competing at her 17th European Championship. She rode a superb test with Wendy de Fontaine to score an impressive 88.046%, but this was only good enough for bronze. This was Werth’s 29th medal at a European Championship and her 55th across all the major championships.

Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle made a single error in the two tempis to score 89.821% and edge ahead of Werth. “I was very pleased with our test, but a little disappointed we just missed out on the gold. It was so close, between our rides, but also with the scores. One thing is certain: Justin and I will be battling for medals many more times in the future,” commented Laudrup-Dufour.

Anticipation

After their gold medal performance just a couple of days earlier, the audience were silent in anticipation of Verboomen’s Freestyle test. The pair captivated the crowd, especially when transitioning from half-pass in trot to canter. The test earned them a well-deserved 89.964% to claim a second gold medal.

“I wanted everyone to feel the emotion, and to keep the connection with my horse. His strength is that he always wants to show his very best. If I don’t make mistakes, he doesn’t either,” said Verboomen of his Freestyle test.

Belgium’s Justin Verboomen with Zonik Plus will, no doubt, be a combination to watch out for in the future.