And There They Were: Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus

At the very least, with their victory in the Grand Prix of Aachen—the Grand Prix Freestyle at the 5* level—they made it clear to the dressage elite: WE ARE HERE! What followed was the title of Double European Champion in dressage. We are talking, of course, about Justin Verboomen and his Zonik Plus, the black stallion who shook up the world of dressage at just 9 years old.

A Little Trip Back in Time…

Let's take a quick journey back to the stallion's first international appearances and his rocket-fueled start in top-level sport:

In September 2022, as a 6-year-old, Zonik Plus and Justin Verboomen stepped onto the international championship stage for the first time. At the World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses in Ermelo, the pair competed and finished sixth in the final with a score of 8.58. The victory at that time went to Eva Möller and Global Player OLD.

From an international perspective, things were rather quiet for the Belgian pair for two years. But here's what followed that silence: their debut at the international CDI3* Grand Prix level in Kronberg in November 2024. With 71.739%, they immediately placed third in the Grand Prix. A day later, they claimed victory in the Grand Prix Special—their first-ever international Grand Prix Special!

• December 2024: The pair won the World Cup Grand Prix in Mechelen and took second place with 81.730% in their very first Freestyle, which was also their World Cup Freestyle debut.
• March 2025: Their first double victory followed in the Grand Prix and Freestyle in Lier, again scoring over 81% in the Freestyle.
• Next stop: Two third-place finishes in the Grand Prix and Freestyle in ’s-Hertogenbosch. But these weren't just any 3rd places—with 84.160% in the Freestyle, the pair set a new personal best.

That record would be topped just two months later. In the Nations Cup of Lier, Belgium made history by winning a Nations Cup for the first time. Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus continued to write their own history by winning both the Grand Prix and the Freestyle—the latter with a massive 86.155%!

In May 2025, Justin Verboomen jumped into the Top 10 of the world on the FEI World Dressage Ranking for the first time, landing at Rank 9. Simultaneously, due to his sporting success, Zonik Plus was approved by the KWPN association, despite being a carrier of the WFFS (Warmblood Fragile Foal Sydrome) gene.

Then came Summer 2025: Aachen, victory in the Grand Prix Special and the Freestyle and, with it, a very clear statement: WE ARE HERE!

Aachen 2025: From a Mischievous "Yes, I expected that" to Disbelief

Already in the Grand Prix, where they finished second behind Isabell Werth and Wendy de Fontaine, they were escorted out of the stadium by standing ovations from the Aachen crowd. The victory followed in the Grand Prix Special—ahead of Isabell Werth and Wendy. The score for the Belgian pair was 80.745%, compared to 80.106% for Isabell Werth and Wendy de Fontaine.

One day later, they continued to write history, becoming the first Belgian pair to win the Grand Prix of Aachen, the CDI5* Grand Prix Freestyle, with a score of 89.400%.

In the Grand Prix press conference, when asked if he had expected such a performance from himself and his only 9-year-old horse, Justin Verboomen answered with a mischievous "Yes," emphasizing that it goes even better at home—and that he would be happy if he could bring that into the arena.

"I was not expecting that result." — Justin Verboomen, just 3 days later, summarizing their victory in the Freestyle with over 89%.

By August, Justin Verboomen had moved up to Rank 3 among the best dressage riders in the world—leading up to the European Championships in Crozet.

Barefoot to Victory and a "Sorry" Afterwards

It was only their third international Grand Prix Special together, their first joint "major championship," and—somewhat unusual for dressage—they competed without horseshoes (barefoot)! They literally danced through the arena: 82.371%!

Three pairs were still to come, including the two favorites, Isabell Werth and Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour. Yet neither could top this performance. Silver went to Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and her Mount St John Freestyle, who, according to the rider, was in the "form of her life." The Dane had her sights set on Gold—that was clear to everyone—so clear that Justin Verboomen even apologized to her with "Sorry."

"Breathtaking" is probably the best word to describe the pair's Freestyle. The stallion danced so light-footedly through the arena that it was hard to believe Crozet was the pair's first championship. They were awarded a 10 for the piaffe-passage transitions, the canter pirouettes, and the final halt.

Standing ovations and a rider who found himself at a loss for words during the interview perfectly summarize this absolute "Wow Moment" of the European Championships. 89.964%—and thus the second Gold medal of the weekend!

In September, Justin Verboomen reached the top of the World Dressage Ranking. To this day, he remains the World Number 1. And the pair proved that this is likely to stay the case for some time with a new personal best of 81.195% in the World Cup Grand Prix of Lyon in October 2025.

It therefore comes as no surprise that in November 2025, Justin Verboomen was awarded the FEI Best Athlete Award 2025.

Photo: Pferdefotografie Lafrentz