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.