Justin Verboomen: “Zonik Plus can still improve a lot”
Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus made several historic achievements for Belgian dressage last year. The world‑number‑one broke record after record and became the first Belgian dressage rider to win an individual medal at the European Championships, which turned out to be gold. How does Justin Verboomen look back on all these successes?
“Last year was truly unimaginable, but to be completely honest, many moments passed me by,” he says. “I can hardly imagine that we, myself and Zonik Plus, have achieved all these successes. Yet when I see footage of those moments again, it really hits me,” he adds, sounding lightly emotional.
“It feels almost unreal”
“My daily routine is far from the spotlights; I work in the stable almost entirely alone every day. All the successes and results feel almost unreal and are so far off from my everyday activities. That sometimes makes it hard to realize that this is really happening. I do enjoy the competitions, they’re part of my job, and I’m learning more and more to enjoy them. I always think things won’t be good enough, but I’m getting better at dealing with that.”
“Zonik Plus can still improve a lot”
“After Frankfurt, Zonik Plus focused on his career as a breeding stallion during January and February. Because of that I trained him a little less, but I kept him in shape.”
Last weekend Justin Verboomen appeared with Zonik Plus in the arena of the CDI Lier—not to compete in the 4* Grand Prix, but for a musical show. “I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. In our home training we spent the past two months working on various exercises. This show gave me a chance to see where we stand in a competition setting, so that during The Dutch Masters we can hopefully add another scoop on top. Zonik Plus can still improve a lot, and he is very young. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.”
Focus on the World Championships
This year is, of course, centered around the World Championships that will be held later in Aachen. Justin Verboomen has his sights set on that as well. “Obviously, that’s our main goal this year. After The Dutch Masters we’ll probably take part in Fontainebleau and definitely in the CDIO Lier. That’s the plan,” the Belgian rider explains.
A life far from the spotlight
The golden partnership now has an enormous fan base, inspiring people with their harmonious riding style. “I find it surprising and hard to believe that people are fans of us. I do understand that people love Zonik Plus. He is truly special, and I’m incredibly a fan of this horse myself. Every day when I see him in the stable I think again, ‘Oh my God, is this my horse.’ So when I look at it that way, I understand. But as I just said, my ordinary days are far from the spotlight; I’m only busy with the horses, and that is my passion, that is my drive.”
Justin and Zonik Plus will start in the World Cup Dressage competitions. The FEI Dressage World Cup™ Grand Prix, presented by RS2 Dressage will be held on Friday, 13 March at 14:00 hrs and the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Freestyle, presented by Equestic on Saturday, 14 March at 14:00hrs.
Complete masterlist international dressage competitions
Programme The Dutch Masters 2026
Order your tickets here!
Photos: TDM/Digishots, Dirk Caremans