Belgium’s Justin Verboomen produced the test of his life at the 2025 European Dressage Championships in Crozet, scoring a personal best of 82.37% with his own nine-year-old stallion Zonik Plus to clinch individual gold in the grand prix special – and secure Belgium’s first-ever championship medal.
It was always set to be a nail-biting contest against Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (Mount St John Freestyle) and Isabell Werth (Wendy De Fontaine), but in the end, the tiniest of mistakes proved decisive.
Drawn first of the leading trio, Justin set the bar with a phenomenal, fault-free performance. His test was filled with nines for the trotwork, piaffe and passage, and no fewer than four 10s for his double-marked pirouettes.
“I’m really struggling to take it all in,” said a visibly emotional Justin after his historic victory. “My horse is still young, and I didn’t expect this to happen so soon. But I’m very happy.
“I bought Zonik Plus when he was just two-and-a-half years old, and we’ve done everything together. From the beginning, he showed exceptional qualities – great balance and a very good temperament. He still has all that, so we try to protect it. He’s an incredible horse.”
Soft-spoken and modest in front of the cameras, Justin added: “To win here with him is just incredible. It took me a few minutes to realise what we’d done.”
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The triumph marks the latest milestone in a remarkable breakout season for the 37-year-old Belgian. Until late last year, Justin and Zonik Plus were barely on the international radar, with the stallion only making his grand prix debut at Kronenberg CDI3* in November 2024.
Everything changed at Aachen in July, where the pair stunned the dressage world by winning the grand prix special with 80.75% – beating Isabell Werth and Wendy (80.11%) and Britain’s Becky Moody and Jagerbomb (78.4%).
“I want to make it smooth and harmonious so people can feel the emotions,” Justin said at Aachen. “I want them to get goosebumps.”
Now crowned a European champion, Justin and Zonik Plus will return to the Crozet arena on Sunday (31 August) for the freestyle, aiming to add another medal to their already trailblazing season.
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Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
