When One Ride Turns Into 'The Decisive Moment': Verboomen Wins GP Special Gold at 2025 European Dressage Championships

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

At the 2025 European Dressage Championships in Crozet, France, Belgian Justin Verboomen delivered a Grand Prix Special ride that has become a "Decisive Moment" in his career and in sport. Never before has a senior Grand Prix rider been able to win an individual gold medal in his first ever FEI Championship and for Verboomen this 6-minute 'moment' will have the impact of a lifetime.

First for France

The 2025 European Dressage Championships are midway and will already go down in the books as one of the most historic Europeans since its inception in 1963.

Not only are they hosted in France for the first time, but instead of being held at major competition yard, a privately owned stable took up the initiative to host the event at their state-of-the-art equestrian center. The space is not designed for massive sport events, but Jiva Hill stables made the best out what they got. The arena is rather tight with the bleachers set up close to the ring, encircling the ring, but it also generates a familiar, cosy feeling, and Jiva Hill with its Relais & Chateau hotel resort behind the barn knows how to cater to the VIP with fabulous food.

For the common folk the event is more than fun to attend. It is close to Geneva airport (15 minutes), plenty of hotels in the area and the grounds are well laid out with a very pleasant trade fair and food zone, where its golden years for the food trucks who can't keep up with the demand. Benches, beach chairs, tents, fountains, shops; there is plenty of space to sit and hang in between the breaks, which are timed properly. In La Douce France, there is no rush at this show and everyone gets a moment to breathe in between the classes, with a properly spaced out lunch break of one and a half hour. That's a relief.

The weather has fortunately been less worse than the ominous forecasts on the many weather apps and while some rides dealt with a bit of rain or drizzle, the majority of the day was dry with very pleasant 20° C temperatures. 

First for Belgium

2025 has been a hinge year in the sport of dressage with the animal welfare wave sweeping through the land and cleaning house, at least a little bit. Judges have seemingly regrouped themselves to refocus on what matters - harmony, lightness, suppleness - although many old habits die hard and this was proven today in the Special. 

The 37-year old Justin Verboomen competed at international Grand Prix level before on clients' horses, but his heart horse Zonik Plus, a 9-year old Portuguese bred Hanoverian stallion by Zonik x Hohenstein, made his international big tour debut only in December 2024. His impact on the scene and judges is comparable to Totilas with scores climbing higher and higher each ride and people flocking to the arena to see another black stallion dance.  After winning the CDIO Aachen the inexperienced Justin felt the pressure of the world on his shoulders and admitted to feeling physically sick from it, but the partnership and trust between horse and rider carried them through. 

After placing third in the Grand Prix and leading Belgium to its first ever fourth place in the team ranking, some of this pressure was released and Verboomen seemingly felt better going into the Special with his horse more settled in the arena. Zonik Plus had big eyes in the Grand Prix spooking on both short sides but today he was at ease.

Justin and Zonik Plus were fourth last to go on Friday afternoon 29 August 2025 and the first ahead of of the other two medal contenders (Dufour, Werth). Light rain sprinkled down as the entered the centerline. The trot-passage work was super floaty, always up in the frame, uphill oriented, In the passage the left hind leg can be a bit more engaged and pushing than the right one, but the rhythm was smooth. The extended walk was marching with okay ground cover, but not the biggest overtrack. Zonik easily masters the transitions into piaffe. His Hohenstein genes come into play here with the hindlegs not truly shifting under the body and the right hock sometimes a bit high and out, but the rhythm is soft and regular. This way of piaffing one sees rather often, but then usually with riders who pull in front, giving the hindlegs no chance to move under the body. With Zonik Plus it is soft and light. Is this a textbook piaffe for a 10? No, but it is light and rhythmical with a horse happy and willing to do it, instead of a forced job, man-handled in front. The second piaffe was outstanding, the transitions effortless. For the line of tempi changes Verboomen needs the full diagonal but in the ones the horse gets stiff and tight in the back and the changes to the right are shorter, but no mistakes were made.  The left pirouettes was mega, the right one tiny. Verboomen and Zonik Plus made no major mistakes anywhere in the test. The aids were minimal and invisible. Maybe today the contact with the curb could have been lighter so the mouth stays more closed but Zonik did not give the impression of being hand-ridden. 

The judges had a treat in store and fairly quickly after the final salute, the personal best score of 82.371% flashed on the board. The crowds erupted into a standing ovation and the cheering and clapping were thunderous as Justin left the arena in tears. The panel, which included Hans-Christian Matthiesen, Janet Foy, Christof Umbach, Katrina Wüst, Peter Storr, Maarten Van der Heijden, and Raphaël Saleh, had a spread in points going from 78.936% (Wust) to 85.638% (Storr). Four judges had them first, three second.

Nobody knew yet at that point if that score would suffice for gold, but in the end it did. It was history for Belgium. In nine months time this pair came out of nowhere and claimed the European Dressage Championship gold. It's a scenario for a movie.

Also interesting to note is how all of a sudden the technical staff of the Belgian equestrian federation has taken up a sudden interest in dressage, shaking hands and pulling Verboomen from left to right, trying to bite a piece out of the cake of glory, even though the KBRSF bobo's barely bothered about the discipline in previous years. Jumping is (has been) all that matters in Belgium. 

Another interesting fact that it has been since 2017 that a male rider has been on the senior individual championship podium (Rothenberger at the 2017 Euros in Gothenburg) and it has been since the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Tryon that a male has won individual gold (Edward Gal - Totilas).

Silver for Dufour

While everything is new for pathfinder Verboomen, Danish Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour has already gone through fire and water, first representing Denmark on the senior Grand Prix team ten (!) years ago in 2016. Dufour is considered one of the world's best riders and although she has the title of European Junior and Young Riders Champion to her name, that senior individual gold medal at either the Europeans, World or Olympic Games is still a glaring lacuna in her list of achievements. It's been bronze in 2017 and 2019 (Cassidy - Euros), bronze and silver in 2021 (Bohemian - Euros), double silver in 2022 (Vamos Amigos - WEG) and at the Olympics she was fourth (2021 - Bohemian) and fifth (2024 - Freestyle).

The 33-year old Dufour is a seasoned sailor and has now had two years of time to mold the 16-year old Hanoverian mare Mount St. John Freestyle (by Fidermark x Donnerhall) to her hand, having taken over the ride from Olympian Charlotte Dujardin and the mare's owner Emma Blundell. With Freestyle's health requiring very careful management, the horse hardly competes and Dufour came to Crozet for only one mission: that coveted gold.  She won the Grand Prix test on Thursday and was the favourite for the win in the Special.

The halt at entry was far from square (still scored 7 - 8.5 !) and it signalled straight away that everything was still open in the race for gold. The half pass left was very elegant and even, the passage and extended trots on the right lead were smooth and carefully ridden, never disturbing the horse in her rhythm. There was a very clear distinction between collected trot, passage, and extended trot - something many riders are particularly sloppy about. The extended walk had super marching: clear overtrack, good relaxation, but then the first piaffe was not out of collected walk but out of a halt. The mare does attempt to sit but gets very narrow at the base and is not truly balanced, but exit out of piaffe was lovely and the second piaffe was so nicely on the spot with good rhythm, although the rider was visibly spurring the horse onwards. The two tempi changes went well, but in the ones there was a big mistake and the door was now completely open for Justin's score to be the winning one, although the suppleness with which Freestyle moved is something Zonik Plus has not yet achieved. The nine one tempi's on the centerline worked out well, the final trot extensions on the long side was lovely although the real overtrack was only achieved after B. The final centerline was a delight, so carefully ridden, easy and a beautiful end halt. 

The score was 81.687% with 80.851% as "low" mark (Storr) and 82.660% (Saleh) as high score. Three judges had Dufour first, four second. 

On Winning Bronze and Old Habits

The French announcer rightfully presented her as "the Queen of Dressage" and nobody disagrees. Isabell Werth's honour roll is unmatched in equestrian sport and she demands so much respect for what she has accomplished on so many different horses. While her biggest rival in the 2000s, Anky van Grunsven, gave up eons ago, the 56-year old German keeps ticking and went from one milestone to another, edging her name deeper and deeper into the history books, even as the sport became more competitive and difficult over the years. Isabell still has the grit and determination of a 20-year old and with a barn full of talented horses, the majority supplied by Helgstrand Dressage, Werth remains a feared player in the business. 

Aboard Madeleine Winter-Schulze and Bolette Wandt's 11-year old Danish warmblood mare Wendy (by Sezuan x Soprano) she had a stellar breakout year in 2024 which led to individual silver at the Olympics. After Paris they did two winter shows and then the mare was sidelined with a small injury. Wendy made her CDI come back in Aachen where she was defeated by Verboomen. The tall black Danish mare is such a lovely horse with an incredible temperament but looking back on the incredible rise they made in 2024, the horse seems to have plateaued in her training this year. She has not become better, while her competitors have. With Verboomen and Dufour presenting a type of riding that is being celebrated and rewarded right now, Werth still has some catching up to do ... at least on Wendy. In the Grand Prix they delivered very good work, but it was all quite "ridden" and it was no different in the Special.

The mare always halts in a stretched position, but square. The trot half pass left was cleverly ridden: huge crossing but not too high in tempo. Wendy is not a supple horse and in the trot extensions she runs, leans on her rider's hands for support, and struggles to achieve overtrack. The judges continue to reward this way of going with 7s and 8s. Old habits die hard. The passage had much elevation, but often gives the impression of falling on the forehand. The extended walk had plenty of overtrack and a good clear rhythm. The first piaffe was super on the spot, but leaning on the shoulders, the second was the best one with uphill tendency. The canter strike off was difficult (6 - 8), but the canter half passes were very nicely ridden. The two tempi changes went well despite Wendy snorting, but in the ones she was not jumping through behind (score 5 - 6). The extended canter was powerful. The ones on the centerline had a mistake (5 - 5.5). The pirouettes were small but the left one was counterbent, the right one better. The final piaffe at X was wide behind but on the spot. The passage regular and rhythmical. 

The pair scored 79.027% but the individual marks ranged from 77.021% (Mathiesen) and 81.170% (Umbach). It put her on the podium for a bronze medal, her second European bronze medal after team bronze in 2015. Werth has won 21 European gold medals in her career and five silver, so far.

Hemmer's Day Will Come

The general consensus amongst spectators was that fourth placed duo, German Katharina Hemmer and Denoix PCH, should have been on the podium for bronze. Delivering her best ride to date, Hemmer scored a personal best of 78.678%, but it could easily have been a percentage more for a podium position. 

Hemmer has been riding Nancy Gooding's 13-year old Oldenburg gelding (by Destano x Pik Noir) since 2023 when her trainer Hubertus Schmidt called his competition career quits due to back issues. Schmidt convinced Gooding, who as heiress of the Pepsi Cola fortune owns Plum Creek Hollow (PCH) farm in Colorado USA, to trust "Katha" as Denoix's new pilot. In 2024 the new duo were short listed for German Olympic team selection but fell short at the final selection trial in Aachen. This year they have upped the ante and gone from strength to strength, proving consistency. At the CDIO Aachen they clinched their team spot for Crozet.

Hemmer and Denoix truly represent what classical dressage can do: gymnasticize a horse in his body so the gaits shine and the difficult dressage movements look easy.  Hemmer sits beautifully in the saddle: elbows bent, fists with the thumb up, the horse is up in the bridle, honest and soft in the contact, foaming naturally. He has three innate gifted basic gaits, but through training he carries himself and is equally supple on both sides.  His Grand Prix Special test began with a square halt that was not entirely immobile, but the trot half passes showcased such incredible elasticity and ground cover. The passage on the right lead could be more closed and collected, on the left lead it was better, but the rhythm was regular and the horse floated from extended trot into passage. The extended walk had good marching, but there could have been more overtrack. The first piaffe was nice but with a slight sway in the right hind. The second had a good rhythm but needed a bit more sit. The canter half passes were fluent, the two tempi's straight and beautiful. The pirouettes were very nice and the ones on the centerline looked easy.The final centerline was rhythmical but the piaffe at X was on the spot though swinging behind. 

Overall it was a really great test and the 78.678% was so well earned. Hemmer left the arena to major cheers from the crowd. She threw her head back, realizing she had accomplished a great ride. Not all judges jumped on the bandwagon to recognize and reward the progress shown in the test. Old habits die hard. Her scores ranged from 76.383% (Van der Heijden) to 80.638% (Umbach).

Da Bomb

British Becky Moody and her own and Jo Cooper's home bred 11-year old KWPN gelding Jagerbomb (by Dante Weltino x Jazz) showed improvement from the Grand Prix test and completed the top five in the Special. 

Jagerbomb is a big, long-lined gelding with lots of power and for me the contact with the bridle is the highlight in this pair: the horse is always steady in the poll, foaming the right amount, the hands are quiet, the mouth is closed, no matter how difficult the movements are. The bay is not the most elastic horse, which shows in the half passes, but he is great at keeping the rhythm and very regular. In the extensions he achieves good overtrack and airtime, but it's a bit stabby at times, although the left extension on the long side was great. The passage is like clock work. The first piaffe was slightly crooked to the right and in the second he back-stepped with the right hind. Jagerbomb is very strong in the canter work: tempi changes straight as a die, a super canter extension but the flying change at K was several strides too early (riding that change on the letter is only executed by less tha a handful of riders!!). The pirouettes were small. The final piaffe at X was not entirely symmetrical as he was rocking a bit unevenly in it.

They scored 77.796% with marks going from 76.596 (Saleh) to 79.149% (Storr).

Thre Brits in the Top 10

The Grand Prix Special in Crozet was such a delight to watch with so many great tests, not all of them going to plan.

Reigning World Champion and Olympic bronze medal winner Charlotte Fry is not having the best week with too many miscommunications between her and Van Olst's 14-year old KWPN stallion Glamourdale (by Lord Leatherdale x Negro). They entered with a square halt but the horse stood tight behind. The trot work was very forward, active, powerful with fluent, ground covering half passes. In the extended trot left there was not as much overtrack is the one on the right lead. The extended walk had good marching with okayish overstep, but the transition into the first piaffe was problematic with the horse making a jump out of it. In the second piaffe he was stepping on his own coronet bands behind. The two tempi changes were huge, just like Glamourdale's trademark, full gas, canter extension. The ones were big but off the diagonal, the pirouettes were good, but the ones on the centerline had shorter changes to the left. In the final piaffe at X the horse leaned on the forehand.  The judges scored the ride 75.289% which made them drop to 9th place (individual scores between 73.617% and 76.809%

British team mate Carl Hester rode Fiona Bigwood's 15-year old KWPN gelding Fame (by Bordeaux x Rhodium) to a 6th place. The bay entered in a 4-beat canter, a little more jump would be nice. Th first trot extension was ridden with more power than the ones in their Grand Prix test and the horse also looked fresher in the passage work on the right lead, but at times there could have been a bit more engagement from behind. The trot half pass right had the better rhythm and elasticity and one left trot half pass could have been more secure in the rhyhthm. There was an early transition to the walk. Fame did not truly relax and stretch in the extended walk (6 - 7). The first piaffe was on the spot, the passage out of it a little less vibrant. Hester rode steep canter half passes, tidy two tempi changes, straight ones. The right pirouette could have done with a stride more. The final centerline was polished, but Fame lost a little energy from behind. They scored 76.383%, a fraction below his usual 77% score.

Three with 75%

Three riders landed in the top 10 with a 75% score: Wandres, Van Liere and Fry. 

German Frederic Wandres and his 2023 European and 2024 Olympic ride Bluetooth OLD, a 15-year old Oldenburg gelding by Bordeaux x Riccione, finished in seventh place and rode a better Special compared to his Grand Prix. The tall bay gelding does well in the trot extensions, easily achieving overtrack. The passage was solid although there was an uneven step behind here and there. The trot half passes were fluent. Bluetooth had a bit of a busy tail today. In the first piaffe he crept a little forward, in the second he got wide behind, but Wandres managed the pi-pa serpentine well. Bluetooth did some double beats in the canter half passes, the tempi changes on the diagonals were straight, the extended canter was energetic. The left pirouette was the better one. There was a small rhythm error in the last trot extension, but they wrapped up the final centerline scoring 7s and 8s for their pi-pa work. They posted 75.942% for seventh place. The individual marks ranged from 74.468% (both on the short side at K, which suggests a correction from the JSP). The high score was 78.511% (Foy).

Dutch Dinja van Liere made a very strong recovery in the Grand Prix Special aboard Joop van Uytert and Jan Anker's 13-year old KWPN stallion Hermes (by Easy Game x Flemmingh). The bay stallion has been Holland's number one since 2022 and been the only horse to earn individual medals for the once leading dressage nation. After placing fourth at the 2024 Olympics, Hermes has been on a lighter schedule with a long break to recover from an injury. He only returned to the arena in July and the lack of miles and fitness was very clear in the Grand Prix. In the Special, she had the horse on better form, but still not in his usual greatness. As last ride to go she was in a power position to reshuffle the ranking, but ended in 8th place in the end. The horse was much more regular in the trot extensions, though maybe not very supple nor ground covering with swing over the back. The half pass left had good crossing, but she was lifting his head with the reins to stay up and under. Throughouth the test, Hermes was slightly tilting to the left, especially in the passage work. The right half pass was well ridden. The passage work was regular and soft footed, not as electric and sharp as we are known of him. The left passage was very collected (and less ground covering) than the right one. The extended walk had good relaxation and overtrack, but could have had a little more V-moment in the rhythm. The second piaffe was a real highlight in the test, the canter strike off was more of a hop-and-a-skip. The two tempi were really straight, the ones very neat, the half halt to collect out of the extended canter not very subtle. The pirouettes were small, the ones on the centerline super. The last extended trot was hurried. The final passage could have been a bit more ground covering and less titled to the left. They finished 8th with 75.486%. The low score was 73.936% (Foy), the high score 77.553% (Storr).

The third 75% score was that of Fry on Glamourdale.

A Few Notes

The top 10 was completed by German based Norwegian rider Isabel Freese on Lone Boegh Henriksen and Paul Schockemöhle's 13-year old Oldenburg stallion Total Hope, who is by Totilas out of Isabell Werth's retired medal winner Weihegold (by Don Schufro x Sandro Hit).  The black stallion was better in the Special than in the Grand Prix. The trot work was forward, the half passes supple,  although the passage still needed to have the hindlegs much more under the body. Often the right hand was more engaged than the left.  In canter, the stallion is absolutely supreme with the most wonderful uphill tempi changes and extended canter. The horse is so soft-footed in the canter work. The pirouettes were rather big today. They scored 74.316% for 10th place. 

By the way, the curse of Herning popped its ugly head and came to haunt two riders in today's Grand Prix Special. The curse of Herning means going off course in the Grand Prix Special at a European Championships. In Herning 2013 no less than three riders did it, today in Crozet there were two who fell into the trap: Ingrid Klimke on Vayron and Sofie Lexner on Inoraline W. It's the same as a getting a speeding ticket: money (or points) wasted. 

The Grand Prix Special concluded with a lovely prize giving ceremony in which a totally baffled and humbled Verboomen took the highest step of the podium to receive a thumb's up from Werth and a graceful bow from Dufour to honour and celebrate the historic moment for this rider. Werth first received her bronze medal and a battle of Charles Heidsick champagne. The most mischievous grin appeared on her face, looking at the other two with a guilty pleasure as she slowly unscrewed the muselet from the bottle to have the pole position for the start of the champagne shower at the end. It resulted in Verboomen getting fully drenched in expensive champagne as he wasn't even given the time to shake and uncork his bottle. Don't worry, Charles Heidsick is better for drinking ;)

On Sunday the 2025 Euros will conclude with the Grand Prix freestyle. A new day, a new set of medals, and new opportunities for riders to deliver their best. We can't wait.

Eurodressage took photos of all competitors in Crozet. No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS!

Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2025 European Dressage. Championships