Verboomen Puts Icing on the Cake with Kur Victory at 2025 CDIO Lier

- Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)  
- Photos © Eurodressage - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED

In the concluding class of the inaugural CDIO Lier at equestrian center Azelhof in Lier, Belgium, shooting star Justin Verboomen put the icing on the cake by winning the CDIO Kur to Music with 86.155%. 

Blessed with blue skies and sunshine the entire weekend, the CDIO Lier featured the first ever FEI Nations Cup on Belgian soil and was immediately an historic event as the home team clinched the victory, edging out dressage bastions Germany and The Netherlands.  Verboomen led the Belgian charge in the Grand Prix and topped it off with a Kur win on Sunday afternoon 18 May 2025. 

Hemmer Solid in the CDIO GP Special

Germany had plenty of reasons to smile too as their team riders won the CDIO Grand Prix Special and placed second in the Kur

After placing second in the Grand Prix with 74.957%, Katharina Hemmer and the American owned Oldenburg Denoix PCH (by Destano x Pik Noir) won the Special with 75.702%. That mid seventies score is certainly confidence boosting as Hemmer is riding for a spot on the German team at the 2023 European Championships in Crozet in August. Her coach Hubertus Schmidt was by her side in Lier.

In the Special Brit Andrew Gould and the 12-year old KWPN bred Indigro (by Negro x Jazz) landed second place with 73.021%. In the Grand Prix the very talented Dutch warmblood showcased his athleticism but was particularly strong in the contact and ridden on the hand.  He scored 71.152% for 8th place. In the Special the judges rewarded the duo with 73.021%. Indigro was trained to Grand Prix level by Edward Gal before selling to the U.K.

Gal's life partner Hans Peter Minderhoud placed third in the Special with 72.787% on the Austrian owned 10-year old Hanoverian Taminiau (by Toto Jr. x Sandro Hit). The black stallion is probably one of Hans Peter's best horses he ever had but after six years the partnership is coming to an end as Glock has decided to close shop. Minderhoud confirmed to Horses.nl that Taminiau will move to Austria at the end of June.

Verboomen Thrills the Judges and Crowds

As last to go in the Kur to Music on Sunday and riding in front of packed crowds that encircled the arena in droves, the 37-year old Justin Verboomen and the 9-year old Portuguese bred Hanoverian Zonik Plus (by Zonik x Hohenstein) won the freestyle with a new Belgian Kur record score: 86.155%

One year ago in Lier the duo became Belgian Medium Tour Champions and their international debut was only six months ago in Kronenberg. This weekend they won the Nations Cup and are tipped as podium contenders in Crozet. 

"I always believed in Zonik Plus, and if I ever dared to expect something this big from a horse, it was from him.” Following the Nations Cup, Verboomen couldn’t hold back his emotions. “The team competition was incredibly emotional for me. The whole team was so motivated, so many people were there supporting us, and then the sunshine on top of that. It was just really special.”

“This weekend was truly fantastic. I really enjoyed the Grand Prix. Today, I felt I needed to be even more focused to support Zonik as best I could. He’s still not completely used to these big competitions, and today he seemed a little more tired, but he stayed super focused and was so responsive. I’m incredibly proud of him.” And rightly so, the stallion once again delivered a test filled with harmony and ease. What’s their secret? “Zonik is just naturally such a happy horse. I just have to keep him fit, healthy, and happy,” Verboomen says with a smile.

Belgian team captain Jeroen van Lent signalled that Rotterdam and Aachen will be important observation events for Belgian team selection. Verboomen will not go to Rotterdam and spare his young Grand Prix horse, but would love to plan Aachen on his calendar before Crozet. 

“We’re not competing at all in June. If everything goes well, I hope to ride in Aachen. Until then, I’ll train him at home, and he’ll do some breeding.” Verboomen is clear about what matters most: “Keeping him healthy is the most important thing. And of course, I hope we can achieve many more sporting successes together.” The European Championships this summer seem well within reach. “I really love Zonik Plus, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Verboomen will have no time to rest as he's competing next week at the Belgian Championships in Lier. He's competing Grand Prix horse Djembe de Hus and small tour horse Bollinger alongside three more horses. The Belgian Championships begin on Wednesday 21 May with nearly 700 horses set to compete.

Stepping Stone for Svenja Kämper-Meyer

Germany also had a presence in the Kur to Music with Svenja Kämper-Meyer rising above expections. The CDIO Lier became a stepping stone in her career. For the first team she represented Germany on the senior team and produced personal best results with her home bred 12-year old Hanoverian  Amanyara M (by Ampere x Davignon).

Svenja irina Kämper-Meyer is no stranger to international showing. She had a very successful career as a German pony team rider. Aboard Samorai she was fourth at the 1997 European Championships in Hartpury and won individual bronze at the 1998 European Pony Championships in Le Touquet. She rode national junior level on Momo, who took her all the way to U25 level (Piaff Forderpreis), as well as Grand Prix horse Graffiti. After graduating from high school Svenja focused on academic studies to become an orthodontist. While Meyer is from an entirely horse family with her father breeding and her sister Carde also riding, her full-time job is running her dental practice and she rides for fun under the guidance of long-time trainer Morten Thomsen. 

In 2018 Svenja returned to the international arena with Grand Prix mare Rania M (by ) for one season. Her international debut on Amanyara, aka "Amy", was in Lier in 2023. Svenja aspires to ride the CHIO Aachen one day. Her 77.300% score and second place at the CDIO Lier have brought her a step closer to that target.

"Amy is part of the family," Svenja told PSI magazine in March 2025. "We all work hard to afford this special hobby, and my father once said, "We may not be able to afford to buy a horse like this, but we can afford to keep her." I knew early on that the horse was born for Grand Prix. When I rode her Inter II for the first time at the age of eight, it was as if she had always been waiting for this."

Belgian Larissa Pauluis completed the Belgian celebration in the freestyle by taking third place with the LePage family's KWPN bred Flambeau (by Ampere x Zeoliet). They scored 77.085%. Pauluis trains with Eddy Swennen.

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