Equitation Academy

12/04/2025

🌿 From Stress to Serenity – Meet Harrie 🌿

There was a time when riding meant stress for Harrie. His tension showed through running, and even small changes in his routine would overwhelm him. But look at him now. 🐎💫

Through patience, understanding, and the right guidance, Harrie has learned to stay relaxed, where he used to react with anxiety, he now breathes, trusts, and lets go.

Now, even when something unfamiliar shows up, Harrie knows how to find his calm. In this video, you’ll see just how far he’s come — not only can we jump without stress, we can even head out into the woods together, completely at ease.

Harrie is no longer just coping — he’s enjoying the ride. 💛

👉 At Equitation Academy, we believe every horse deserves that feeling.

10/03/2025

Meet our amazing horses in training!

🐴 Sef, 3.5-year-old gelding. I’m training him twice a week and giving lessons to his awesome owner to keep him happy and healthy during his riding career.

🐴 Pablo, 4-year-old gelding who experiences tension under the saddle. We’re teaching him that riding is fun and stress-free🙏

🐴 Zafira, 4-year-old mare. She’s here to build a solid foundation, she would build up a lot of tension when walking her and lunging where her heart would beat out of her chest, literally. She’s been here for only 2 weeks and she’s already much more confident and calm when walking and lunging. Next step is to start her under saddle!😍

🐴 Otis, 5-year-old gelding. He already had an amazing start from the ground, but still had tension under saddle. He would run in blind panic and you could not reach him any more. But now this sweet beautiful boy is doing amazing! Also together with his owner who did not give up🥰

🐴 Special, 6-year-old mare. She came here with a lot of tension in her body and her right hip significantly higher than the left, also when riding she feels stiff and ridged. So she had Nano CellCare Therapy and Fascia release therapy to help her with the tension in her body. We are training her to improve her posture and lower her right hip.

🐴 Helina, 8-year-old mare. She was here before and now she’s back for about 2 months so her owner can focus on her move to Sweden!

🐴 Harrie, 11-year-old gelding. He used to build up tension under the saddle and express it by running, but now he’s learning how to manage it—and he’s doing great! I still train him 2 days a week and giving lessons to his owner who never gave up!🥰

🐴 Saartje, 14-year-old mare. She’s a small pony with some inflammation in her back and neck, so I train her from the ground to improve her posture. Her 12 year old owner is absolutely amazing and willing to go beyond to help Saartje and always making sure Saartje is happy and healthy.

🐴 Queen, 20-year-old mare. She’s had some problems with tendon injuries, but because of her amazing owner and co-rider, who are willing to do everything for Queen, she’s back on track!✨ I’m still training her 2 days a week

15/02/2025

Are you curious about how I will train your horse?

At Equitation Academy the training is all about fostering a strong, harmonious connection between horse and rider. By combining riding techniques with a deep understanding of biomechanics, psychology, and behavior, this method goes beyond just mastering the skills—it’s about creating a partnership that thrives on trust, communication, and respect.

Through a tailored approach, each horse receives personalized guidance that nurtures their unique strengths, builds confidence, and enhances performance. With a focus on posture, body alignment, and emotional well-being ensures the horse can achieve their best, preventing injury and promoting longevity in the sport. It’s about more than training—it’s about creating a deeper connection. 🌟

A well-balanced horse = a healthy, happy athlete! 💫

Want to know more about this training method, or do you want your horse to be trained this way? You can always contact me or have a look on my Instagram 💚

11/02/2025

Do you feel there must be a better way to train your horse? There is! 🥳 Solving tension with pressure, like traditional dressage methods, never made sense to me. So on I went, searching for a trust-based training method. A method with respect for the horse, its physical well-being and calmness 🐴. Guess what, I found one, and I can help your horse to find the perfect balance in body and mind too!

Together with veterinarian Karin Leibbrandt I developed a way of training that brings out the best in every horse, no matter it's issues. Starting and rehabilitating horses became not only my passion, but my business as well, and it turns out that I'm pretty good at it. Currently I have 5 horses under my care and I do have room for a couple more. Also, I can help your horse to find balance in jumping, cross or trail riding. At my training stables, I can offer premium care, the best possible food and plenty of outdoor time to play and socialize. 💪

My name is Debbie van der Aar, I am 30 years old and based in the Netherlands (Kootwijkerbroek) 🙋🏼‍♀️ Are you curious about my method? Read my pinned post, look on my website or send me a DM.

23/09/2024

Meet Navarro😍

It's been a while, but now we officially bought him. We had him on trial for 3 months because he was lame on the hard circle on his right front. He also has kissing spines but in the last 3 months he didn't show any clinical signs, so we're not too worried about it.

He's a 7 year old gelding by Daily Diamond and he's not only stunning but also very sweet. Our goal is to start showing him in a friendly, biomechanically correct way.

We look forward to this exciting journey with our new companion! 💙

19/09/2024

23/06/2024

Yesterday Karin Leibbrandt and I did something very exciting…🤩 Soon we’ll tell you all about it, stay tuned!😍💙

14/12/2023

Equitation Academy is een erkend leerbedrijf en we hebben weer een stageplaats beschikbaar. Gevestigd in Kootwijkerbroek en je ontvangt een stagevergoeding!

Wil jij alles leren over biomechanisch correct trainen zonder hulpteugels, jonge paarden beleren en hoe je paarden het gedragsproblemen helpt weer plezier te ervaren in de training? Dan is dit de geschikte stageplek voor jou.

Meer informatie over het bedrijf kun je vinden op www.equitationacademy.nl

02/10/2023

Throw🔙 Monday: a couple years ago this beautiful sweet gelding was my first official rehab horse since starting my business. Nairo🥰😍