As the show groom for Belgium’s Gilles Thomas, Sanne Melsen has experienced an exceptional year in 2025. Photo © Jenny A Photo for World of Showjumping.
Text © World of Showjumping
As the show groom for Belgium’s Gilles Thomas, Sanne Melsen has experienced an exceptional year in 2025. While Ermitage Kalone won team gold and individual bronze at the Longines FEI Jumping European Championships, Qalista placed fourth in the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final – to mention only two of Team Thomas’ many successes in 2025, in addition to the CSI4* Grand Prix wins in Stockholm and Maastricht as well as topping the CSI5* LGCT Grand Prixs in New York and Paris.
“For sure one of the highlights was the Europeans,” Sanne says as she looks back on her year. “Working with a horse like Ermitage, you hope for a good result, but to come back home with two medals was better than what I expected. I try to have a positive mindset, but not expect too much.”
The year started with mixed feelings, as Sanne and Gilles were working with a new and younger group of horses. “We always do three weeks of Sunshine Tour at the beginning of the year,” Sanne explains. “This year, I went there without Ermitage and Luna, while the two mares we brought – Qalista and Lavanoche – were just nine. I was a bit worried that it would be a bit of a struggle…”
However, straight away from Sunshine Tour, they rolled on with great success. “I don't even remember how many times Gilles won a class,” Sanne says. “The nine-year-old mares stepped up so well, and then it was one good thing after another. We really had some very nice weeks. I think a bit of a setback was probably La Baule, where Ermitage had one down in the Nations Cup, but I think that was exactly what we needed at the time,” she recalls.
“It was the toughest week of the year,” Sanne tells about the week at the 2025 European Championship. “There are so many emotions to work through." Photo © Jenny A Photo for World of Showjumping.
A week after their minor failure in La Baule, Gilles and Ermitage won the CSI5* LGCT Grand Prix of Paris, and a week later, it was time for the Longines FEI Jumping European Championships in A Coruña. “It was the toughest week of the year,” Sanne tells. “There are so many emotions to work through. We get very spoiled with a horse like Ermitage, and there were so many expectations on us. I'm really happy that everything went well – but it was a long week.”
In December, Sanne received the Cavalor FEI Best Groom Award during the FEI Awards Gala in Hong Kong. “I definitely don't think of myself as the best groom, but I'm really happy that this award exists and I was honoured to receive it,” Sanne says. “The experience itself was amazing; I do think it was the nicest weekend of my life. It was very nice to get to know more people from the FEI and from the federations. It's always easier to complain and to say what isn't good than to point out the positive. I do think the FEI is doing their best for our sport.”
“After ups, there will be downs,” Sanne says modestly as she looks towards 2026. “I hope we will be able to keep all the positives from this year. The most important thing is that our team of horses stays healthy and gets stronger. Next year will be a big year with the World Championships in Aachen, and Aachen has always been on my bucket list. Just to get there would be a big goal for next year.
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