A total of 21 nations took part in the Championships. Germany’s Isabell Werth, the most experienced rider in the history of the event with no fewer than 16 appearances, competed this year with the Danish Warmblood mare Wendy de Fontaine. Together, the pair earned individual bronze in both the Grand Prix Special and the Grand Prix Freestyle, both times finishing just behind Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour with her mare MSJ Freestyle.

The biggest sensation, however, came from Belgium’s Justin Verboomen and his remarkable nine-year-old stallion Zonik Plus, who secured two individual gold medals. Zonik Plus is by the Danish Warmblood stallion Zonik (by Blue Hors Zack/Blue Hors Romanov), bred by Linette Jæger. Under Edward Gal (NED), Zonik became a three-time Dutch Champion before tragically passing away in 2021 following complications from a routine operation.

In the team competition, Germany took gold ahead of Great Britain, while Denmark earned a well-deserved bronze medal. The Danish squad included two championship debutants, both riding Danish Warmbloods: Nadja Aaboe Sloth with Favour Gersdorf and Rikke Dupont with Grand Galiano. They were joined by seasoned riders Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Andreas Helgstrand. Helgstrand competed with the Danish Warmblood stallion Jovian (by Apache), who was sadly lost shortly after the Championships due to complications following castration.

Danish Warmbloods at the European Championships

• Favour Gersdorf (Foundation/Leandro), 12-year-old gelding, bred by Inger-Marie Andreasen – ridden by Nadja Aaboe Sloth (DEN)
• Grand Galiano (Grand Galaxy Win/Blue Hors Don Schufro), 10-year-old gelding, bred by Lotte & Gert Buchhave – ridden by Rikke Dupont (DEN)
• Cyprus Ophelia (Blue Hors Rosoff/Ragazzo), 15-year-old mare, bred by Bruno Hindkjær – ridden by Gabriele H. Kiefer (CYP)
• Gammelenggårds Zappa (Zonik/Akinos), 13-year-old gelding, bred by Nanna Voss Jønsson – ridden by Maria Klementieva (CYP)
• Rockson (Blue Hors Rockefeller/Sorento), 14-year-old gelding, bred by Anette Nilausen & Niels-Jørgen Johansen – ridden by Jessica Neuhauser (SUI)
• Gørklintgårds Scorpion (Gørklintgårds Santos/Blue Hors Don Schufro), 11-year-old gelding, bred by Jørgen Ravn – ridden by Nathalie Wahlund (ITA)
• Tiffanys Diamond (Tailormade Temptation/His Highness), 13-year-old mare, bred by Hansenberg – ridden by Henri Ruoste (FIN)
• Wendy de Fontaine (Sezuan/Blue Hors Soprano), 11-year-old mare, bred by Kurt Gosmer – ridden by Isabell Werth (GER)

Danish Warmblood finished third among studbooks with the highest number of horses represented at the Championships. This achievement is particularly impressive considering that the association registers only around 1,800 foals annually – a stark contrast to the much larger breeding volumes in Germany (28,109 foals) and the Netherlands (16,421 foals), according to 2022 WBFSH figures.