Verboomen Shy and Shell-Shocked, Bests 5* Grand Prix Special at 2025 CDIO Aachen

- Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)  
-- Photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS!

It is incredibly endearing to see the 37-year old Belgian Justin Verboomen sit shy and shell-shocked in the press conference after having won the 5* Grand Prix Special at the 2025 CDIO Aachen on Saturday afternoon 5 July 2025. 

He whispers into the microphone, in shock of what took place in the sell-out dressage stadium half an hour earlier, yet confident in the quality and potential of his horse Zonik Plus, a 9-year old Hanoverian stallion by Zonik x Hohenstein, bred in Portugal.

"I'm super happy and emotional," the modest Justin mumbled. "It was not an easy ride. Some parts he supported me, some parts I supported him. I'm so happy to have him in my life. I didn't show today what he can do at home. He can be so much more."

Glass Ceiling

Verboomen and Zonik Plus (by Zonik x Hohenstein) rode his second Grand Prix Special test ever, scored a personal best of 80,745%, beat seven-time Olympian Isabell Werth as well as a barrage of Olympians, wrote history for Belgium as a developing dressage nation.

Verboomen joined a small group of riders that broke the glass ceiling in Aachen by winning a 5* test as "foreigner" on these hallowed grounds.

In the past two decades famed riders such as Anky van Grunsven, Jan Brink, Edward Gal, Steffen Peters, Charlotte Dujardin, Tinne Vilhelmson, Laura Graves, and Cathrine Dufour preceded him.  Looking back in history in the last 70 years, just a few more names can be added to that list of non-German riders: Lis Hartel (DEN), Anne-Grete Jensen (DEN), Christine Stuckelberger (SUI), Margit Otto-Crepin (FRA), and Trish Galvin (USA), and  Joan Gold (GBR). Ulla Hakanson won a class in 1971 but Josef Neckermann became the grand champion. Before WWII, only dressage legend  Alois Podhajsky (AUT) and Gregor Adlercreutz (SWE) broke the German stranglehold in 1936 and 1935. 

Justin has now joined this list of illustrious 15. The CHIO Aachen began holding dressage classes in 1925 but the first international riders competed there as of 1934.

Rise to Greatness

What should have happened in Thursday's 5* Grand Prix, became a reality today. The Belgian won with a showcase of lightness, ease and precision. The call for a dressage that celebrates effortless, willingness and an invisible rider was answered.

As third last to go in the Grand Prix Special, the pair had everyone on the edge of their seats after winning the hears of the crowds and placing second with 78.348% in Thursday's Grand Prix. Seemingly unfazed by the pressure, the duo produced another fault-free ride. The trot was super lightfooted, the passage had plenty of airtime and regularity. The extended trots covered much ground although the left one was less floaty. At times Zonik Plus bares his teeth, but the mouth is quiet, the contact light and very steady. In the future the horse should stretch a little more into the contact and over the back. The extended walk had a clear rhythm with 1 or 2 hooves overstep. The first piaffe was nice, the second had a little bit of back-stepping but the horse remained comfortable in the rhythm. Occasionally Zonik's hindleg hitches a bit in piaffe, a working point for the future. The canter strike-off was lovely, but the stallion needed a few strides to supple his back. The two tempi changes were good with a slight swing to the right, the ones were quite ground covering, but the ones to the right are a little less elastic. The pirouettes were tiny, the ones on the centerline tense but no mistakes, On the final piaffe-passage centerline, the horse was a bit curved to the left and Justin could have polished the final halt more as Zonik stood stretched. Still, the entire test was a joy to watch and an embodiment of modern dressage. 

The judges panel included Maarten Van der Heijden, Peter Storr, Janet Foy, Katrina Wüst, and Raphaël Saleh and they were brave enough to go against the grain today. They rewarded Verboomen's test with a winning 80.745%. Three judges had them first, two second (Saleh, Wüst) The marks ranged from 79.255% (Saleh) to 82.234% (Storr).

Werth and Wendy in their Wake

Today Isabell Werth and Wendy stayed in the Belgian's wake although two judges preferred the seasoned champion. They scored 80.106% with 78.936% as low mark (Foy) and 80.957 (Wüst) as high mark.

Werth has a wonderful, interesting mare in the 11-year old Danish bred Wendy (by Sezuan x Soprano) and in 1.5 year time the partnership has grown and blossomed. Wendy is black, beautiful, athletic, and most importantly very willing to do the job. Today Isabell had to open her toolbox  though and do a fair bit of riding. The mare snorts when much is asked of her (piaffes, tempi's, etc) and today she did it more than in the Grand Prix.  The left trot half pass was not entirely regular in the rhythm (7.5 - 9), the right one much better. Wendy's work point are the trot extensions, in which did not achieve any of sufficient overtrack, but the judges continue to score it between 7.0 and 8.0; something not only Isabell benefits from, but more "famous" riders do (when it looks pretty yet does not fulfil the classical standard).  Some of the passage work could have been more collected and carried by the hindquarters. The highlight of the test was probably the extended walk: it had tons of overtrack, good relaxation, and a clear V-moment in the rhythm. It scored 7.5 to 8.0 and could easily have been more. The collected walk was short before the first piaffe. The passage - second piaffe - passage had a flawless rhythm and was well ridden. Isabell truly collected Wendy in the corner before going on the diagonal for the twos. In the ones the rider had to labour hard. The changes to the right appeared shorter and there was a mistake (5.0 - 7.0). In the ones on the centerline, Werth was swinging in the saddle but there were no errors. The pirouettes were small but Wendy needed to sit more behind and especially in the left one have more bending round the inside leg. Werth wrapped up her ride with a mega controlled, rhythmical final pi-pa centerline, even though Wendy got high in the poll and not consistently on the bit. 

Werth is not used to play second fiddle but says this keeps her motivated.  “It was great sport and the strong competition makes it spicy. That is the reason I am still here. I saw Justin in Lier and it was clear to me that he wouldn’t try to be a gentleman. That is what we love to have: Exciting sport and competitive shows, that is what the spectators love.”

Da Bomb

Becky Moody and Jo Cooper's 11-year old home bred KWPN gelding Jagerbomb (by Dante Weltino x Jazz) slotted in third with a personal best score of 78.404%.

The duo got a big score despite having a few fundamental issues in their ride that were covered with the cloak of charity. Still one big thing needs to be said: the pair showed the best passage work of all in the class: engaged, collected and regular like a metronome. It mainly scored solid 8s but could have been more. Furthermore, Jagerbomb is so steady in the contact, closed mouth, lipstick foam, up in the poll and consistently on the vertical. Three judges were on point by scoring the halt at entry a 4.0 as an eager Jagerbomb did not want to stand still. Storr still gave a 5.5? The trot half passes were great. In the left passage and extended trot the horse appeared flexed to the left and hurried. The extended walk was unfortunately poor today: there was hardly instep and the big bay did not relax, nor march over the back (6.0- 7.0 ?!). The transition into piaffe was excellent, the second piaffe superb ( 7.5 - 8.0), the strike off to canter so so (7.0 - 8.0). The tempi changes were super straight, another highlight. The pirouettes small, the final centerline had plenty of energy. The final halt had the absolutely minimum of immobility (7 - 8).

Moody, member of the British Olympic bronze medal winning team, was overjoyed: “It is something else to ride into this arena. The crowd are fantastic and so knowledgeable.“ The atmosphere brought its challenges for 'bomber'. “He was definitely very enthusiastic today in the arena! He didn’t want to stand still, but it is precisely this energy that makes the rest of his test so special. That is what we are all striving for finding the balance between energy and relaxation.”

Becky was chatty at the press conference and called herself "the poster girl not to give up." She referred to the fact that "only in the last two years I realised I had a good horse. Already in my mind I had come to terms I was not going to the Olympics, my dream. In London (2023) I realised how good a horse Jagerbomb is, so I went for that reserve spot on the Olympic team (she got the spot after Dujardin got suspended).  The horses I sat on in the past have produced me for the horse I have now."

German Top Five

Two German riders completed the top five today: Frederic Wandres and Katharina Hemmer. 

Wandres and Hof Kasselmann's 15-year old Oldenburg gelding Bluetooth (by Bordeaux x Riccione) were the penultimate pair to enter the arena. They began with a nice first trot extension. The left trot half pass could have been more on the hindquarters. The right passage was more regular and carried than the left one but it improved on the short side. The extended walk was well regulated with two hooves overstep, in the collected he ambled before the piaffe (6.5 - 7.0). The second piaffe was a bit on the forehand but ridden on the spot. The canter half passes were okay, the one tempi changes very nice and secure. The left pirouette lacked bending round the inside leg, the right one always seems to start with a double beat but the strides improved. The final passage had good quality, the piaffe at X was wide behind. Wandres did not lose his patience at the end of the test and made a polished final halt to finish his test. He scored 77.702% with 77.021% as low score (Van der Heijden) and 78.298% as high score.

The day was filled with exciting rides, but one of most intriguing and pleasant ones from a classical dressage perspective was Katharina Hemmer's test on the American owned 13-year old Oldenburg gelding Denoix PCH (by Destano x Pik Noir). The chestnut also did not stand immobile (7.3 ?) and there was a little break in the corner after the first extended trot, but the left trot half pass was magic and the passage work today fully came together: collected, engaged, supple, springy. At times the horse was a bit unsteady in the poll but that improved throughout the test and in canter he was very consistent in the head-neck position. The extended walk had two hooves overstep but it was not the most generous marching. The first piaffe was well on the spot, the second slightly back-stepping with the right frontleg yet travelling forward. The right canter half pass was the best one. The one tempi's were superb. The pirouettes small, there was a hiccup in the one tempi's on the centerline but only the judges on the long side noticed that. The final piaffe at X was excellent (8 - 8.5). They scored 77.447% to complete the top five today, but could easily have scored more as they showed correct dressage work. 

The 2025 CDIO Aachen wraps up tomorrow with the Kur to Music. The stadium will be once again filled to the brim, merging the best atmosphere with top sport. While freestyle judging is always a bit of questionable, let's just see where the sport takes us...

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