Grand Prix Special podium - Photo © one_photographiefrance.
On this third day of competition at the FEI European Dressage Championship in Crozet, the thirty best pairs from the Grand Prix, held yesterday and the day before, lined up for the Grand Prix Special. The individual competition promised to be very intense, with many contenders capable of claiming the European title. With a score of 82.371%, Belgium’s Justin Verboomen and his stallion Zonik Plus, the new stars of international dressage, ultimately triumphed ahead of Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (81.687%) and Germany’s Isabell Werth (79.027%).
Already victorious in Aachen last month, the young Belgian rider and his impressive stallion Zonik Plus confirmed their place among the elite of international dressage today with an excellent performance in the Grand Prix Special. Scoring 82.371%, the pair even came close to perfect 10s in their canter pirouettes. Their beautiful harmony and nearly flawless technical execution allowed Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus to dominate today’s Special. While smiles were everywhere in the Belgian camp as they exited the arena, the rider’s entourage had to wait nervously for several minutes before celebrating. Indeed, still to come were none other than dressage queen Isabell Werth from Germany, yesterday’s team gold medalist, and Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, also yesterday’s team bronze medalist. The latter, riding Mount St John Freestyle, started her test brilliantly and seemed to be matching the Belgian’s percentages before making mistakes in the one-tempi changes, which brought her score down by a few points. With a final score of 81.687%, the Dane had to settle for the silver medal.
Lacking a bit of energy and brilliance, Wendy de Fontaine and Isabell Werth scored 79.027%, securing the bronze medal in a championship that largely favored the younger generation. Indeed, the day’s other big surprise came from the youngest member of the German team, Katharina Hemmer, who delivered a very fine test this afternoon, scoring 78.678%. Just a few tenths behind her teammate, and visibly emotional as she left the arena, the 31-year-old finished fourth at her very first European Championship—a performance that bodes well for the future!
And the future begins on Sunday with the final test of this European Championship: the Grand Prix Freestyle, open to today’s top eighteen pairs. No competition on Saturday, then. Some riders will fine-tune certain elements of their freestyle routines, while others will opt for a light workout to maximize rest for their horses. Meanwhile, the public in Crozet is invited to enjoy an open day tomorrow, highlighted by a performance of the Cadre Noir at 5 p.m., followed by the show Galiléo from the company Deus Ex Machina at 9 p.m.
They said:
Justin Verboomen, 2025 European Champion with Zonik Plus "I’m really struggling to realize what’s happening! 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 2 ½ 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."
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, 2025 European Vice-Champion with Mount St John Freestyle "It’s very hard to predict anything with such an incredible group of riders competing this week! I’m really, really proud of my silver medal today. Justin showed amazing sport, and so did I, actually! But I made a mistake in my one-tempi changes. The fact that this sport allows new combinations like Justin and his amazing horse to emerge is something that really motivates me a lot. In a way, it was horrible watching my competitors, because I wanted to be on the top step of the podium, but at the same time, it gave me so much motivation and really pushes me to keep improving. So yes, I’m really proud of my silver medal today."
Isabell Werth, 2025 European Bronze Medalist with Wendy de Fontaine "I’m sorry, I’m not part of the young generation! But anyway, I did my best to defend my position today! I’m really happy with Wendy de Fontaine. I expected it to be an easy competition today. In reality, it was very close and tough, which made it really exciting for all of us. And of course, when you’re here, it’s about giving your best and trying to win. I expected great performances from Justin and Cathrine, of course. So for us, it was important to go into the arena and give everything. I lost a bit of energy in the transitions. I did my best. I’m not yet at the level I’d like or should be at right now, because we started a bit late in the season due to a small injury. That made the path to peak form more difficult. Nevertheless, Wendy de Fontaine did many good things, and I was really happy with her passage and piaffe work."