Instructors

Heidi De Vlieghe
Since childhood, I have had a love for horses.
After spending years in riding schools, searching and growing to become a better horse person, my dream came true in 2010. Together with my husband Kenny and our three sons Yannis, Tiebe and Floris, I run a horse ranch in Nieuwpoort, Belgium, Little HK Ranch. There, we strive daily to keep, care for, and train horses naturally.

A passion from head to hoof! Since 2017, I have been working according to the BAR method of Jossy Reynvoet, which involves performing high school exercises bitless in a harmonious and academic manner. A powerful marriage between connection, relaxation, and biomechanics, in short, everything to keep a horse mentally and physically healthy and trained. My picture was complete when I completed my education as an anatomical trimmer in 2018. No hoof, no horse, literally the basics for a healthy horse!

You can come to me for individual lessons, training, and hoof care. I am convinced that it is worth continuing to invest in the well-being of these majestic animals and am proud to contribute my part.

Heidi can be reached through her website: www.heididevlieghe.be, www.littlehkranch.be.

Jannie Smit
I have always loved animals and from a very young age I had an interest in horses. It was never an option to have my own horse in the Netherlands so I went to riding schools and followed the conventional riding methods.

When migrating to Australia I had the opportunity to have my own horse and this was straight away a foal from birth. Living in the outback of Australia and no idea what to do or how to start a horse I consequential made many mistakes. Paradox tried to tell me but I didn’t know how to listen.

When Paradox was 10 years young, I started to look for other ways on how to be with and train horses. This took me on a whole journey to many different horse people all over the world and in 2014 I ended up in Belgium with Jossy Reynvoet.

Here I found many parts that I had already explored at one place. The importance of relationship, the body language, the gymnastic work and not to forget the bittless riding. I was very impressed with the steps and the logic behind Jossy’s basic work.

I joined Jossy’s on-line academy, that he had at that time, and when I was back in Europe I would be a week student at the Bornehoeve.

In 2019 I invited Jossy and Pascale to come over to Australia for a clinic tour and this is where I became a lisenced BAR trainer. I still have regular lessons with Jossy, may it be on-line or in person.

My focus is on the relationship and creating a clear communication through body language between horse and rider. Setting up a good foundation with the basics that you can always fall back on. From here we can take it into the gymnastic groundwork and riding.

I offer clinics and private lesson throughout Australia and New Zealand and an intensive training at our place in Wondecla, Far North Queensland.

If you like to find out more or connect with me, go to my webpage: https://janniesmit.com.au/,
I look forward meeting you there.

Marie Eickhoff
Since my early childhood, I have had the privilege of spending time with horses and learning from them. To this day, horses are my greatest teachers and I am very grateful to each and every one of them. My riding career was not very straightforward, so I was able to get to know and experience many riding styles. From competitions and carriage driving to horsemanship, I have gained a lot of experience over the years. I finally found my home in the Bitless Art of Riding and Academic Art of Riding.

In 2019, I founded Equiliberty and fulfilled my dream of being self-employed with horses. One year later I had the privilege to go to Belgium to Jossy Reynvoet as a working student for 3 months. I finished my internship by taking part in my first clinic with Bent Branderup at Jossy's farm and passing the groundwork and lunge test. A year later I took the squire test, which made me a member of the Knighthoof of Academic Art of Riding.

In the same year, I found a location for Equiliberty and my partner and I moved into a farm in northern Germany. In 2022 I was able to hold my first course with Jossy at my farm, where I rode my demo with the neckrope and Jossy appointed me a licensed BAR trainer.

I travel all over Germany for clinics, take on weekly students and training horses at my stable. Furthermore, I teach the very youngest among us three days a week with children's lessons. In addition to working on horses, I also share my knowledge and insights into my work on social media on my Instagram channel: equilibertyofficial.

Meanwhile, my work is characterized by the combination of the profound knowledge of the Academic Art of Riding and Bitless Art of Riding with positivereinforced, anti-authoritarian training. I have found my absolute passion in libertydressage. The loving, fair and positively reinforced handling of horses is particularly important to me. Because only those who are allowed to have their own opinion can be proud and graceful. And that's what I want for my horses.
www.equiliberty.de

Susanne Land - my way with horses
I have been infected by the horse virus since I was very young. I rode countless ponies and other people's horses until I got my first horse of my own at the tender age of 46. Since then, I have worked intensively on horse-friendly training from the ground and from the saddle as well as healthy topics such as bodywork, hoof care, saddle fitting and nutrition. Since 2012, Academic Art of Riding has been my home; I have been a member of the Knighthood since 2023 and a licensed Bitless-Art-Of-Riding Trainer since 2024.

Bitless - an Matter of the heart
I have always felt uncomfortable trying to influence the horse through metal in its mouth. This discomfort led to constant remarks during my pre-Academic Art of Riding equestrian journey: "The reins are too long, you need to have more contact with the horse's mouth". I have always regarded the mouth as a very sensitive and intimate part of the horse's body and tried, even then, to exert as little influence as possible – no wonder the reins were "always too long."

Consequently, my mare Lilly never had a bit. In the beginning, I rode exclusively with a soft cavesson (Vienna), but I clearly reached my limits in terms of riding influence. Since training with Jossy and discovering his structured training as well as the cavesal, I now know that you can ride challenging exercises up to the High School Dressage level harmoniously and lightly even without a bit. I realy love that I can teach the "Bittless-Art-Of-Riding" (BAR) to my students as a licensed trainer.
https://pferde-bonn.de/

Horse health - the Masterson Method®
Five years ago, I got to know and love the Masterson Method® and trained to become a certified practitioner (MMCP). For me, the Masterson Method® and the bitless Academic Art of Riding are inextricably linked. With both, I pay close attention to the horse's reactions, train or treat in dialog with the horse and strive for lightness.

The Masterson Method® is a gentle, interactive manual therapy method (or bodywork) that releases tension in muscles and fascia to give the horse a better range of motion. We not only work on physical blockages, but can also positively influence trauma. Our goal is a relaxed horse with subble movements.

Anyone interested in a treatment is welcome to contact me. I am also regularly in Belgium and can plan appropriate tours for several horses around Zutendaal.
https://tiertherapie-land.de/