Werth Wins the Grand Prix, Verboomen Wins the Hearts of the Crowds in the 2025 CDIO Aachen 5* Grand Prix

- Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)  
-- Photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS!

Isabell Werth and her Olympic silver medal mare Wendy became the winner of the 5* Grand Prix class at the 2025 CDIO Aachen on Thursday afternoon 3 July 2025.   Aachen is not the institution where sacred cows are sacrified, so Werth was not toppled from her pedestal, but it was Belgian shooting star Justin Verboomen on Zonik Plus who was the winner in the eyes of the knowledgeable.

As last rider to go, Verboomen's score stayed shy of Werth's winning mark, but he received standing ovations upon leaving the arena, while the judge at B got loud boos when his low score was announced. 

Barometer

Traditionally the Aachen 5* CDIO Grand Prix class, which serves as an FEI Nations Cup leg, is the most important test of the competition as it serves as a team selection/observation class and ultimately it is the barometer for the upcoming summer FEI Championship. With all eyes set on Crozet, riders from multiple nations consolidated their position on their country's team with the score they rode in either the 4* or 5* Aachen Grand Prix. 

Set in the most splendid dressage stadium in the world and with a sell-out crowd already packing the stadium on Thursday afternoon, the CHIO Aachen makes international dressage sport feel alive and very wanted as an integral aspect of our culture. 

After tempestuous weather on Wednesday, Thursday brought perfect temperatures for showing: 24 C° and a cloud here and there for some shade. Horses appeared much fitter and fresher for the task, and the judges panel, consisting of Katrina Wüst, Janet Foy, Raphaël Saleh, Christof Umbach, and Peter Storr, were served a delicious menu of different rides. 

Combat Mode

German dressage legend Isabell Werth never disappoints as a competition rider. The way she can prepare and improve her horses time after time is astonishing and with horses with amazing athleticism and rideability like the 11-year old Danish mare Wendy (by Sezuan x Soprano) it is only more a matter of tweaking and fine-tuning, than a body-building process of "bulking", "cutting" and coaxing as with some of her other horses. 

Werth took over the ride on the Grand Prix competed Wendy from Andreas Helgstrand in January 2024 with owners Bolette Wandt (who owns Chateau de Fontaine in France) and Madeleine Winter-Schulze backing her endeavours. Two silvers at the Olympics in Paris were the result and now it's a straight line to Crozet where the pair is considered one of the individual medal favourites alongside Glamourdale, Mount St. John Freestyle... and Zonik Plus.

Werth and Wendy were third last to go and from a technical, ridden perspective the test was executed masterfully. She rides from letter to letter, prepares the movements, doesn't get stressed if the horse skips a beat, and allows Wendy to find the rhythm in the piaffe and passage without pushing for more. However, there are fundamental dressage issues which are not ideal yet, and despite that she continues to get her grace scores from the judges. The halts are square but the mare always stands stretched instead of tucking the hindlegs under the body in a collected position. She gets between 7.5. and 10.0 for them. The three extended trots achieve no clear overtrack, but  continue to earn her marks from 7 to 8.5 (!!!). Overall the contact with the bridle is elastic, but the mare clearly leans on the rider's hands for support and does not give this true image of self carriage.

Of course there were plenty of really beautiful movements: there was lots of crossing and ground cover in the wonderful half passes. The rhythm in the first piaffe-passage was really lovely with smooth transitions and the control over the second pi-pa was amazing. The mare appeared push button easy in most canter movements with a fluent zig zag, a super extended canter, and good two tempi changes, but in the ones the first change wasn't through (5.5 - 7.0). In the pirouette left she did not sustain the stride behind, but the right one was better. Werth and Wendy finished with a very fluent final centerline even though in the final passage the hindquarters got crooked to the right (8 - 9).

The pair left the arena with a 79.761% score. Four judges had her first, one second. The panel was in unison with marks between 79.239% and 80.652%. Isabell received thunderous applause and standing ovations from the crowds as she waved and smiled to them.

Verboomen and Zonik Plus: Winner in the Hearts of the Crowds

The Belgian shooting star duo Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus is taking the international dressage world by storm. With only five CDI's to their record (Kronenberg, Mechelen, Lier in February, Den Bosch, Lier in May) before coming to Aachen, their Grand Prix score has gone from 71.739% in December to 78.543% in May. He is currently ranked number five on the FEI World Ranking.

The Brussels based rider almost came out of nowhere (between 2015 and 2022 he rode six internationals with four different horses) and has launched himself as a new beacon of horsemanship and harmonious riding. He discovered the 9-year old Hanoverian Zonik Plus (by Zonik x Hohenstein) as a 2-year old in Portugal and trained him to GP himself. He now has Belgian based German Claudia Kircheiss as his eyes on the ground. He rides Zonik Plus barefoot (but more about that later).

When the duo posted 78.543% on the board at the CDIO Lier the door was wide open for something extraordinary for Belgium as a dressage nation. Over the past four years Belgium has been achieving milestone after milestone, setting new records, achieving unprecedented results, but the developing dressage nation now has that mega super star a country needs to become a podium contender. The boost it gives to national equestrian sport is invaluable and the enthusiasm it generates amongst riders and fans is something you wish for for every developing dressage nation. 

The strength in the Verboomen-Zonik Plus pair lies in the harmony and lightness. They are an echo of the ease and effortless Jessica von Bredow and Dalera were known for. Not a single aid is visible throughout the test, the rider's hands are immobile and Zonik Plus seems to be ridden on a telepathic connection. Does this mean that the ultimate horse-and-rider combination has risen up. Of course not..Perfection does not exist and also Zonik Plus has some working points. However the question judges need to ask themselves is: what separates the world's highest ranked combinations from one another: spectacular gaits? correctness in classical dressage training? harmony? lightness? It will be very interesting to see what happens in Aachen in the Special on Saturday

The Belgian duo had drawn the best starting place in the class: last. The trot work was very floaty (and at times risks to get a little passagey, particularly int he right half pass, but Verboomen managed the tempo well). Zonik Plus is light-footed in trot. The first piaffe-passage wit was soft and smooth, but the first piaffe could have had a bit lowering of the haunches. The collected walk was clear 4-beat but could be a bit more active. The two tempi changes went smoothly, the extended canter was good but the flying change at the end of the diagonal was botched. The zig zag flowed, and Verboomen was able to ride clear one tempi changes but the horse gets tight in the back in them. The pirouettes had real collection and were tiny. They finished with excellent rhythm on the final centerline but the piaffe at X was ridden a little early to the marker. The end halt was square. 

The announcer said the individual marks first before giving the crowds the final result. He got an 81.087% as high score, then 77.500%, 78.696%; 78,261% and when the score of the judge at B was announced (76.196%) the crowd booed loudly. The final result was 78.348% for second place. Those sacred cows...

Germany Wins Nations Cup

Germany saw its fourth rider drop out of the nations cup team despite passing the vet check (Rothenberger - Fendi). This meant that Germany was not allowed to call up a substitute (only before the vet check) and had to do with three riders on the team. No biggie, it was plenty for the Nations Cup win. Since Aachen hosted its first dressage Nations Cup in 1977, Germany has won the event all but four times.

Germany's second contributing score for is Nations Cup result was 76.891%, achieved by Olympian Frederic Wandres on the 15-year old Oldenburg gelding Bluetooth (by Bordeaux x Riccione). The duo has been a player in the highest echelons of the sport, but this year seems to be trying something new with his training and riding. The results were clearly seen in Compiegne with the horse being in a more open frame and better self-carriage, but then in Balve at the Nationals Bluetooth went back to relying more on the support of his rider. In Aachen it was something in between Compiegne and Balve. 

They began with good half passes and good overtrack in the trot extensions. The first and second piaffe travelled a bit too much forward and in the first passage there were a few uneven steps. The collected walk was ok. The canter strike-off lacked some polish. The zig zag and extended canter were well ridden, the two's were clear but in the ones two changes to the left appeared shorter behind. In the right pirouette the horse parked the hindlegs and had double beats instead of maintaining the stride. In the passage on the final centerline there was plenty of energy left in the tank, but the right hindleg swayed out a bit and the horse got crooked at the end. The piaffe at X had good rhythm. 

The individual marks went from 75.652% to an optimistic 78.152%. He placed beween second and third place with all five judges.

Hemmer is Hammer

Germany's third result was  75.413% ridden by Katharina Hemmer on the American owned 13-year old Oldenburg Denoix PCH (by Destano x Pik Noir). Last year the duo already came close to team selection for the Olympics but lost their slot after a performance below par.. in Aachen. They had much to prove this year as consistency is what is needed to make it on the team. And Hemmer was hammer!

Trained by Hubertus Schmidt, the pair rode energetic and elastic trot work with sweeping half passes. There was a mini break in the rhythm in the first trot extension. The collected walk was good. In piaffe Denoix gets very narrow behind and tends to cross the hindlegs (or steps on his own coronet bands). The passage was nice. The two tempi changes were big and straight, the extended canter lovely, the zig zag smooth, the ones easy going, In the left pirouette the balance was edgy, the right one was a bit big. The final centerline had passage but in the piaffe Denoix swayed a little bit too much behind. 

His marks ranged from 75.00% and 76.957%

More Magic

The Aachen 5* Grand Prix is such a great class and there were so many more interesting rides.

Best Brit was Olympic team bronze medallist Becky Moody on her 11-year old home bred KWPN gelding Jagerbomb (by Dante Weltino x Jazz). The big bay takes more after Jazz than Dante Weltino is probably has some of the most consistent bridle contact of all. The mouth is always closed, the lips have proper lipstick foam and Moody pilots this horse with much experience. The horse was off in his halts this time and never stood immobile. The half passes had nice balanc, the trot extensions were big, the passage very regular as it should be. The transition to walk was via a halt. The tempi changes were top, the pirouettes accurate. They scored 75.718% for fourth place. 

Swedish Patrik Kittel rode his second CDI of the year with the 13-year old Swedish warmblood Touchdown (by Quaterback x Sack) to finish sixth with 73.587%. The piaffes are wide behind and in passage the bay threw in a few asymmetrical steps with front leg (the right forearm reaches further). The strong points were the tempi changes and zig zag. 

Portugal's Joao Pero Moreira was thrilled with his 73.326% aboard the 10-year old Oldenburg Drosa Furst Kennedy (by Fursten-Look x Don Kennedy). The black stallion is a little pocket rocket, very round and compact in passage, with lovely trot extensions and good ability to collect in the pirouettes. 

Best Dutch result came from Marieke van der Putten on the 11-year old Oldenburg mare Zantana (by Zonik x Sir Donnerhall). This new pair made a splash at the CDIO Lier in May. Despite her age, the mare is new at Grand Prix and is a real fire cracker. She is so quick, sharp to aids and super athletic and a real star for the future. She appeared a little too electric in her legs to give a real effortless impression, but more is to come from them. Today it was 73.239% for 8th place. 

Andreas Helgstrand and Cathrine Rasmussen's 11-year old KWPN stallion Jovian (by Apache x Tango) landed 9th place with 72.587%. The duo warmed up in the indoor arena, far away from the spectators' peering eyes and only came out to the 10-minute ring before entering the stadium. The tall stallion has his highlights in the extended gaits: trot and canter, but the extended trot is overridden.. There is no need to go for a 15/10... The passage looks disconnected: a hollow back, hindlegs out and often uneven, in piaffe Jovian simply cannot sit on the hindlegs but does a hand-stand, leaning on the forehand. The collected walk was good and the two tempi changes straight.

Swedish Maria von Essen rode her 13-year old Invoice (by Jazz x Ferro) with great care .It often looked like the lid was going to blow off the cooker, but she kept it all contained. They got 72.565%.

Danish Rikke Dupont and her 10-year old Danish bred Grand Galiano (by Grand Galaxy Win x Don Schufro) impressed with the dead straight tempi changes and lovely final passage, but in piaffe the horse does not close in the frame and sit behind. They got a personal best of 72.196%

Britain's Andrew Gould and Indigro (by Negro x Jazz) are chasing that fourth team spot for Crozet and posted 71.087%. Tatiana Skillman's black stallion is gifted in piaffe and passage but was so strong in the contact through the test. 

America's Kasey Perry-Glass had a good round on her 13-year old KWPN gelding Heartbeat WP (by Charmeur x Ferro). The tall bay is maybe not as supple in the top line (which show in the half pass left and edgy collected walk), but Perry rode really strong, uphill two tempi changes and small pirouettes. They got 70.783% for 16th place. 

Team mate Kevin Kohmann and Terri Kane's 16-year old Hanoverian Dünensee (by Dancier x Davignon) got eliminated after the judge at C spotted blood right in front of him during the rein back. Dunensee was not really quiet in the contact, gaping regularly. He has a flesh coloured lower lip and it might affect the appearance of the foam. A swap was taken with a handkerchief. The U.S team disputed that there was blood. 

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