Belgian rider Justin Verboomen delivered a career-best performance at the 2025 European dressage Championships in Crozet, scoring 82.37% with his nine-year-old stallion Zonik Plus to win individual gold in the grand prix special. This victory marked Belgium’s first-ever medal at the championships. Verboomen’s faultless test, highlighted by high marks for trotwork, piaffe, passage, and pirouettes, edged out strong competitors Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Isabell Werth. The win capped a breakout season for the 37-year-old, whose horse only debuted at grand prix level in late 2024.

Verboomen expressed deep emotion and pride in his young horse, praising Zonik Plus’s temperament and balance, which they have nurtured since the stallion was two-and-a-half years old. After stunning the dressage world with a major win at Aachen earlier in 2025, the pair now aim to add another medal in the freestyle competition at Crozet. Verboomen’s smooth, harmonious style aims to evoke strong emotions in the audience, making their European championship triumph a historic milestone for Belgian dressage.