From relatively unknown to two European Dressage Championships gold medals in less than two months — Belgium’s Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus have enthralled us with a seemingly impossible story.
For the second time in three days, the 9-year-old black Hanoverian and the man who selected the horse seven years ago in Portugal showed true mastery of their art as they won the freestyle Sunday with their miraculous connection at the title meet in Crozet, France. The combination showed it would be a force to be reckoned with by posting a freestyle victory at Aachen in July. (Click here to read about his first gold medal at the championships)
The freestyle winner and his horse have a special connection.
Justin’s mark of 89.964 percent in the championships’ freestyle was just 0.143 percent ahead of silver medalist Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour from Denmark (89.821) on the lightly campaigned Mount St. John Freestyle, who did not show at Aachen. Each of the top two had one big mistake that they made up on the joker line, but their excellence overall was unquestionable.
Justin and Zonik pirouette. (FEI photo)
Germany’s super-duper star Isabell Werth wound up with bronze on Wendy de Fontaine (88.046) after an incredibly determined ride as she sought to better her bronze from Friday’s Grand Prix Special. It was the twenty-ninth European Championships medal and the fifty-fifth overall for the sport’s most decorated rider.
European Dressage Championships freestyle winner Justin Verboomen gives as good as he gets with champagne on the podium from Catherline Laudrup-Dufour and Isabell Werth.
After his ride, Justin, 38, said, “I wanted everyone to feel the emotion, and to keep the connection with my horse.”
His error was breaking into canter steps in the trot half-pass, but aside from that, the two impressed with their connection.
“His strength is that he always wants to show his very best. If I don’t make mistakes, he doesn’t either,” the Belgian commented about the horse he trained through the ranks.
Asked about her mare, who had a whoops in the two-tempis, Cathrine said, “She was amazing again today. It was so close, but I think this is what the sport is about. Even though it comes with a little bit of disappointment right now, we’ve seen amazing sport here.”
Cathrine, who placed first in the team competition last week, told Isabell, “you always look so hungry every time you go in.”
Isabell, who commented on the “incredible standard” of the competition, was complimentary of her mare, saying, “I love to compete, I love to present the horse in the best way. She gives really her heart today. It made me really proud. In the end, 1 percent more or less, it’s more luck than performance in the freestyle. I can live with that for sure.”
The order of finish in the freestyle was the same for the top three in the Special. Justin’s golds were the first ever in the dressage championships for his nation.
The emotionally overwhelmed winner, when he managed to get out a few word after his score was announced, said of Zonik he was “so proud of my horse, he’s so young,” noting that the fact that the stallion is “always attentive to me is his greatest quality.”
This is more than a partnership; it’s a mind meld of human and horse. The duo garnered 14 marks of 10 in their test, ridden to an entrancing instrumental musical compilation. Four of the seven judges scored Justin at more than 90 percent.
Overall, the quality of the performances at Jiva Hill Stables was fantastic, elevating the state of the art even well down the ranks from the podium finishers.
Looking ahead to the 2026 world championships less than a year away, it will be interesting to see how the U.S. riders will fare at that competition in Aachen. They have 11 months to prepare, and they will need every minute of it.
The display of excellence at Crozet was stunning, and Britain was not far off the pace in the freestyle with Becky Moody and Jagerbomb. They finished fourth in their European Championships debut on 86.982 percent with a ride to a Beatles medley. One judge put her at over 90 percent.
But it did not go as well for her country’s world champion, Lottie Fry on Glamourdale. She was tenth with 79.579 percent for her imaginative ride on “Glamourdale Airlines,” as the voice of a “flight attendant” (Lottie herself!) announced the take-off and landing. The tunes included “Come Fly With Me,” but the first part of the “flight” was a bit rough, as her opening halt was not square and the black stallion scooted with his hind end during passage.
As her teammate, Carl Hester (seventh on Fame, 81.029 percent) remarked, the noise level in the arena felt rather high. Lottie’s music played quite loud, which put her mount on edge, particularly at the start.
The championships marked the last time the Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere will be showing Hermes, the 13-year old Dutchbred stallion who has been her partner. She finished thirteenth on 77.781 percent.
“Hermes has been great the whole week. We wanted to give it all today. It was a difficult ride, because it was our final one. I can’t say much more now, but I am sure he will have a great future ahead of him,” Dinja said sadly. The horse is not supposed to retire, but plans for him aren’t being revealed at this time.
The first time France has hosted the championships was historic. The team at Jiva Hill on the edge of Switzerland,with a backdrop of the Jura mountains, did a fabulous job even with having limited time to prepare after the original venue dropped out.
Click here for results.
