Justin Verboomen returns to familiar ground this week. At Belgium Dressage Events in Lier, he will once again compete with his remarkable stallion Zonik Plus in the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™, a competition that has become closely connected to special memories for the Belgian combination. Will they manage to make history once again?

“Two years ago, it all really started here in the Medium Tour,” Verboomen says two days before the Nations Cup begins. “Then came the victory with the Belgian team in the Nations Cup. I have so many great memories of Lier. The organization is fantastic, the atmosphere and the facilities as well. I really enjoy coming to Lier.”

“Zonik Plus feels really good”
A lot has changed over the past two years. In a short period of time, the combination has grown into one of the absolute highlights of international dressage sport. Yet there is no sign of rushing or big statements from Verboomen. Quite the opposite. Calmness, details and feeling are central in his preparation towards the World Championships in FEI World Championships Aachen 2026 this summer. “I’m really happy with how Zonik Plus feels at the moment,” he explains. “I was very pleased with the test in Fontainebleau. Since then, I’ve actually hardly ridden any exercises at home. I mainly focused on the small details: relaxation in the canter, the connection. But in the end, those are not details at all. That’s the foundation.”

All about feeling
For Verboomen, everything revolves around the feeling he has built at home during training. That is exactly the feeling he wants to bring into the arena in Lier this weekend. “The goal is to have the same feeling in the arena as I have at home. A canter with a relaxed back and once again that harmony in the passage and piaffe like in Fontainebleau,” where the combination achieved an impressive personal best score of 91.855%. Representing Belgium once again on home soil in the Nations Cup means a lot to him. “It’s always special to ride for your country. We have a really nice team. And it’s beautiful to hear the applause and support from the home crowd.”

World Championship preparation
After CDIO Lier, Zonik Plus will take a competition break in preparation for the World Championships, with Verboomen consciously choosing rest and routine over extra starts. “After Lier, I will stay home with Zonik for the entire month of June. He will also get a bit of a holiday. I won’t compete him again before the World Championships in Aachen. At the end of July we still have a training camp with the Belgian team and for me that’s enough. I couldn’t really find another show where I thought: I really want to compete there. I prefer focusing on the details at home.” According to Verboomen, Zonik Plus simply does not need additional competition mileage. What is essential for the stallion, however, is calmness around shows. “What he really needs is arriving early at the show so he can settle and acclimatize. That really makes him relaxed.”

Travelling loose in the truck
Even during transport, Verboomen searched for ways to make the stallion more comfortable. With success. “Recently he started travelling loose in the truck. On the two-horse truck he was always a bit nervous. A friend told me: ‘Just try letting him stand loose.’ So now I move the partitions to the side and since then he travels incredibly calmly.” It perfectly reflects the relationship between rider and horse. Verboomen constantly looks at what Zonik Plus needs to feel comfortable. “I’m not constantly worried about what could happen, also not when he’s outside in the field. If he prefers this, then we do it this way. Anything can always happen. In the end, he is the love of my life and I do everything for him.”

No Belgian Championships for Justin
During next week’s Belgian Championships, Verboomen himself will not compete. The original plan was to present his newest talent, Fellini du Soleil, but he decided to change course. “I had planned to compete Fellini, but we are not completely ready yet. I want to do everything as well as possible and take the time for it. That’s why I won’t compete next week, but of course I will come and support during the Belgian Championships.”

 Nations Cup on Saturday at 13.00
This Saturday, the FEI Dressage Nations Cup will take place in Lier for only the second time in Belgian dressage history. Spectators are warmly welcome, with tickets available online or at the entrance. The Nations Cup starts on Saturday at 13.00.

Tickets
Startlists & results

After six days of international top sport, packed grandstands and sporting highlights, CDI Lier received the finale it deserved on Sunday. While spectators had filled the arena on Saturday evening for the impressive show of European champion Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus, the final day was entirely dedicated to the 4* Grand Prix Special and the Freestyle. Once again, Belgian dressage made a strong impression.

In the Grand Prix Freestyle, sponsored by VGP, Larissa Pauluis put the finishing touch on a successful week with her seventeen-year-old Flambeau. Delivering a strong test and a score of 79.825%, the pair secured victory and provided the home crowd with a fitting conclusion to a successful edition.

“Still like a young boy”
Larissa Pauluis is enjoying a strong season with the seventeen-year-old Flambeau and currently leads the intermediate standings of the World Cup series. “He really still feels like a young boy,” Pauluis smiled afterwards. “I have to manage his energy as if he were a four-year-old.” Despite the win, she remained critical. “They are animals, of course. We had a slightly hectic start and the final transition into passage wasn’t perfect. But otherwise Flambeau felt very good, and we didn’t make any mistakes. So I’m very happy with that.”

Proud of First Step Valentin and Defalque
This season, Pauluis is firmly focused on qualification for Belgium towards the 2028 Olympic Games. The first key opportunity will be the World Championships in Aachen later this year. For that reason, she has decided not to travel to the FEI Dressage World Cup Final. “I want to keep Flambeau fit and fresh. After The Dutch Masters, he will have a few weeks of competition rest.” During CDI Lier, her other Grand Prix horse, First Step Valentin, competed internationally for the first time with fellow Belgian rider Charlotte Defalque. “That was really special to see. She is increasingly finding the right buttons, and that takes time when a horse has always been ridden by you. They had a very good start here, and that makes me proud.”

Still gaining experience
It nearly became an all-Belgian podium in the Freestyle. However, Dutch rider Marieke van der Putten managed to position herself among the home favourites. With Kuvasz RS2, a son of Glamourdale, she scored 78.945%, a personal best for the combination. “To be honest, I didn’t quite find my focus,” she admitted. “That has never really happened to me before. Maybe it was the heat, I don’t know. I made a silly mistake in the two-tempis. But I’m incredibly proud of Kuvasz. He still lacks some experience at this level, but he improves every competition.”

Floating through the freestyle
Third place went to Alexa Fairchild with Fairplay, a son of Delatio, scoring 77.465%. “It felt like we were floating through the freestyle, I truly enjoyed it,” she said enthusiastically afterwards. “I could really ride on feeling and didn’t have to overthink things. Everything felt easy, and I’m very happy with my horse.” She also praised the organisation in Lier. “It’s always wonderful to compete here. Everything is so well organised, especially for the horses but also for us as riders. Our next competition is the World Cup qualifier at The Dutch Masters, and I’m really looking forward to that.”

German podium in the Grand Prix Special
The Grand Prix Special was won by Grand Prix winner Katharina Hemmer of Germany with Denoix PCH. Scoring 75.596%, she claimed a convincing victory. “I’m so happy with Denoix. Our goal was to ride relaxed tests, and we more than achieved that. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and excited to see what it will bring.” The podium was completed by her compatriots Fabiënne Müller-Lütkemeier with Valencia AS (70.298%) and Lisa Müller with Gut Wettlkamp’s Zonik Hit OLD (69.787%).

Results

Topping the leaderboard was Thomas Wagner with Escolar’s Emil FRH, earning a score of 71,660%. Close behind, compatriot Charlott-Maria Schürmann rode her striking black mare Dante’s Pearl to a 69,681% finish, securing second place. Tobias Nabben and his Forster 16 69,660% completed the top three.

Escolar’s Emil FRH made his debut in the Grand Prix Special today – and what a successful start! “He felt super relaxed, and I had a great feeling throughout the test,” a proud Thomas Wagner told us. “I can see that Emil really enjoys the arena here in Lier, judging by his behavior, and considering we also had a very good test yesterday with a win in the Grand Prix. He generally just feels really good.” Looking ahead, Wagner added, “We don’t have any other international shows planned at the moment, but we hope to compete at the German Championships later this year.”

Results

Foto’s: DigiShots

Saturday got off to an early start with the Inter I, powered by MaxAmaze, which also served as a qualification competition for the Asian Games later this year. Victory went to Australia’s William Matthew, who scored 69,735% with his Quentin FRH. After winning his very first international competition with the nine-year-old gelding, Matthew spoke proudly about his horse.

“Quentin is a very sensitive horse, but he did a fantastic job today. Considering this was both his first appearance in an international setting and his first Inter I test, I am extremely pleased with what we were able to show. We will now gradually work towards the Inter II,” said Matthew.

Training towards the Inter 2
In his daily training at home, he will continue to build carefully toward the next level. Quentin FRH is currently for sale, but there is no urgency. “If he happens to find a new home in the meantime, that’s great, but for now I’m enjoying continuing to train him myself towards the Inter 2,” Matthew concluded. Behind him, Clara Newin, riding her La Belle Noire finished second with a score of 68,970%, followed by Ingrid Klimke with her in third on 68,883%, giving the rest of the podium a distinctly German look. 

German Podium in the 3* Grand Prix
On friday, the fourth day of CDI Lier concluded with the 3* Grand Prix on the program, powered by Sport Vlaanderen. A total of 41 combinations took part, and the test resulted in a podium topped by Germany’s Thomas Wagner, who rode Escolar’s Emil FRH to a score of 70,500%. He was followed by compatriot Lisa Müller, who claimed both second and third place with scores of 70,217% and 70,022% respectively. The highest-placed Belgian rider in the three-star Grand Prix was Charlotte Defalque, who finished fifth with First Step Valentin, the former mount of Larissa Pauluis, scoring 69,891%.

Results

CDI Lier is in full swing. After three successful youth days, the senior competitions have now begun. Although Justin Verboomen is not on the start list for the CDI4* Grand Prix, he will travel to Lier on Saturday evening together with Zonik Plus for a never-before-seen performance set to live music.

Verboomen and Zonik Plus made history as the first Belgian combination to win European gold at senior level, claiming victory in both the Grand Prix Special and the Freestyle. The pair currently leads the FEI Dressage World Ranking and has firmly established itself among the sport’s top combinations.

From breeding to improvement
Following their successes in Frankfurt, Zonik Plus has primarily been focused on breeding duties in recent months. However, training continued intensively at home. “I really wanted to take this opportunity,” explains Verboomen. “Over the past weeks, the focus for Zonik Plus has mainly been on breeding, but at home we have worked specifically on improving several exercises. This show gives me the chance to feel where we stand in a competition setting, so that heading towards The Dutch Masters we can hopefully take another step forward.” The Dutch Masters will be the first show of the year for the European Champions, who have their eyes on the World Championship in Aachen later this year.

Live music
In Lier, the pair will present a freestyle accompanied by live music from Verboomen’s life partner Jonatan Martinez and To The Music, starting time 7.30PM. It promises to be a special prelude to the CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle that follows. Verboomen is clear about his horse’s potential: “Zonik Plus can still improve a lot, and he is still very young. I truly can’t wait to see what the future will bring.”

Tickets

For the programme, start lists and results: www.belgiumdressageevents.be