Belgian Team Horse Intermezzo van het Meerdaalhof to be Retired from Sport

Dressage

Belgium

Belgian team rider and Olympian Domien Michiels has announced the retirement of his number one, Intermezzo van het Meerdaalhof.

Intermezzo is an 18-year old Belgian warmblood gelding by Gribaldi out of Princesse (by Balzflug x Oufiri du Pont des Dames). He is bred by Kristine Hias and Marc Steeno at their stable Meerdaahof, where rider Domien spent his childhood learning to ride.

From Young Horse to Grand Prix

Domien Michiels received Intermezzo in training when the horse was four in 2012. Initially, the plan was to sell the black gelding but Domien was able to reach an agreement with Marc Steeno and produced the horse to Grand Prix level.

The pair debuted in Belgium in 2015 at M-level. Their international debut was at small tour level at the 2016 CDI Mariakalnok. They moved up to Grand Prix level in 2018 at the CDI Leudelange.

Belgian Team Horse

Trained by Carmen de Bondt, the pair gradually moved up in scores and had their first highlight year in 2021. After starts in Opglabbeek, Grote-Brogel, Compiegne and Rotterdam, they were selected on the Belgian team for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, where they finished 28th in the Grand Prix with 70.202%. Six weeks later they placed 64th (64.115%) at the European Championships in Hagen.

In 2022 they showed in Doha, Den Bosch, Opglabbeek, Compiegne and were back on the team for 2022 World Championships to finish 44th with 69.596%. Domien and Intermezzo became very consistent scorers and a fixture on the team. At the 2023 Europeans in Riesenbeck they were 43rd with 69.068% and assisted in Belgian claiming a team spot for the 2024 Olympics.

The Highs and Lows in 2024

The pair had a stellar season in 2024. Domien made history in February 2024 by becoming the first Belgian ever to win a World Cup qualifier in Gothenburg.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics he rode two personal best scores and assisted his team riders to finish in a historic fifth place for Belgium at the Olympic Games. He had 72.531% in the Grand Prix for a 22nd place.

However, in the late summer Michiels got sidelined after breaking his shoulder falling down the stairs. In addition in January 2025 Domien got disqualified from the 2024 Olympics for an anti-doping rule violation. The presence of the prohibited substance dorzolamide was detected in his body. It is a topical ophthalmic which he had treated his dog with. His Grand Prix Special result was removed and Belgium dropped from fifth to 10th place in the team ranking. The pair returned to competition at the 2024 CDI-W Mechelen.

Proving Stability

In 2025 rode a string of CDI's in Amsterdam, Gothenburg, Den Bosch, Fontainebleau, Lier, and Aachen to win the Nations cup in Lier, before heading to their last major championships, the 2025 Europeans in Crozet, where they posted 68.649% for a 34th place in the Grand Prix.

Their final international was the World Cup qualifier in Lyon in October 2025, where they finished 9th in the Kur.

The pair recorded 108 international competition starts, winning three times. The pair were multiple competitors at the Belgian Grand Prix championships winning bronze in 2019 and 2021. Their were 4th in 2018, 2020 and 2022, 8th in 2023, and did not compete at the nationals in 2024 nor 2025.

Retirement

Domien and Intermezzo were supposed to have their swan song ride at the CDI-W Mechelen at the end of December 2025, but during the final training session at home Intermezzo didn't feel completely fit and was withdrawn.

A retirement ceremony has now been planned for the 2026 Belgian Championships in Lier, where the duo will take a final lap of honour.

"Their journey has been nothing short of extraordinary," the Belgian equestrian federation stated. "But above all, it was a story of trust, friendship and years of growing together. Thank you, Intermezzo, for everything you have meant to Belgian dressage. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement."