The nine-year-old stallion Zonik Plus by Zonik/Hohenstein/Donnerhall (breeder: Dressage Plus, Amadora/POR), registered in the Rhineland, and Belgian rider Justin Verboomen sensationally won the European Championship in the Freestyle after their first gold medal in the Grand Prix Special. Not only was this the first championship appearance for both rider and horse in Crozet/FRA, but it was also the first title for a Belgian in the history of dressage.
In both competitions, the silver medal went to the seven years younger Mount St John Freestyle by Fidermark/Donnerhall/Atatürk (breeder: Stephan Kurz, Zöbingen) and Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour from Denmark. When the powerful bay mare appeared at the Elite Foal and Broodmare Auction in Verden’s Niedersachsenhalle in 2009, no one could have guessed that she would one day be among the top dressage horses in the world.