What an unforgettable week for Belgium's Gilles Thomas and Ermitage Kalone (Catoki x Kannan, bred by Magali Dessalles and owned by Joris Van Dijck), as well as the whole team around them, at the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship 2025 in A Coruña, Spain, where the two won team gold and then individual bronze. 

Coming into Sunday's individual final, Gilles and the 11-year-old stallion were sitting fourth on the overnight standings on 1.37 penalty points but moved their way up on the scoreboard with another double clear round to take the bronze medal. 

The story around Ermitage – who has become the darling of international showjumping with his good looks and effortless style – makes these medals even more special.

Joris Van Dijck – the nephew of Gilles Thomas’ uncle Marc Van Dijck, who Gilles rides for – let Gilles take over the reins on Ermitage when the stallion was six. Van Dijck had found Ermitage as a foal – in a French magazine. “He was 18 months when I bought him,” Van Dijck told World of Showjumping in an interview two years ago. “I saw him in a French magazine! Everything was already online back then, and it was not so popular anymore to advertise in a printed media. However, I saw Ermitage there: For sale, Catoki x Kannan, and I was directly interested. I called the breeder, Magali Dessalles, who sent me a video. We had the X-rays done in France and as everything was ok, we bought him – it was a quick arrangement.” 

As Ermitage got older, the interest in him grew. After he won the Belgian Championship as a 9-year-old, it intensified further and Joris Van Dijck ended up turning down some lucrative offers. "He grew up at my place, so I know him very well – better than anyone else – and it is like I cannot let him go, that’s it. People say I am stupid not to sell him, but money is not everything in life. If I would sell him, it would break me. It is not easy, and some nights it takes me a few hours before I can sleep," Van Dicjk told World of Showjumping in our story "Ermitage Kalone – “Money isn’t everything” published in 2023. 

Well, we bet you can sleep well now Joris! What an incredible journey it has been for everyone involved with Ermitage, and how wonderful that he has been kept together with Gilles – there is nothing we like more than a special partnership, and this is truly one of them. 

And with this, we present our photo special dedicated to Gilles and Ermitage's individual bronze – how lucky are we that our work includes going through 100 photos of this handsome stallion!

All photos © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping. No screenshots or reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.