Equilibrio - Claudia Wolters

24/10/2026

What if we looked beyond the way we are used to training?

What if biomechanics and intrinsic motivation could not only complement each other, but actually strengthen one another?

In Academic Art of Riding, we place great emphasis on balance, body use, movement quality and a thoughtful, progressive approach to training.

Through positive reinforcement, shaping and allowing room for initiative, we can also tap into the horse’s motivation and invite them to become an active participant in the learning process.

But what happens when we stop seeing these approaches as opposites and start bringing them together?

When we look not only at how to develop a movement correctly, but also at how to motivate the horse to discover that movement with us?

This doesn’t mean compromising on biomechanics or correct training. Quite the opposite. It means exploring how movement quality, motivation and cooperation can reinforce one another.

A different way of looking at things. A different way of learning. New possibilities for growing together.

Something new is emerging from this idea…

✨ BEYOND THE FRAME ✨

A concept where Academic Art of Riding meets intrinsic motivation.

We ( and I) look forward to taking you along on this journey of discovery.

Because sometimes, real progress begins with asking whether there is another way.

More info coming soon!!

23/09/2026

1 year later.. 🥹

Only my beautiful filly by you remains Triana..
You are so missed, but I’m very grateful you left me such a beautiful piece of yourself 🧡

Thank you Maid of R Pictures for capturing this special moment 🫶🏻

26/08/2026

✨ DE DAG VAN HET CARTUJANO PAARD – EEN UNIEKE KANS! ✨

Op 5 september staat alles in het teken van één van de meest bijzondere en zeldzame lijnen binnen de PRE: het Cartujano paard.

En voor deze speciale dag komt er een bijzondere gast helemaal vanuit Spanje naar Nederland… 🇪🇸

Francisco de Rooij zet in Spanje de fokkerij Yeguada Residelca voort, een fokkerij die 35 jaar geleden door zijn vader in België werd gestart. De kennis, passie en ervaring rondom deze bijzondere paarden zijn daarmee van generatie op generatie doorgegeven.

Tijdens een uitgebreide én interactieve lezing neemt Francisco je mee in de fascinerende wereld van het Cartujano paard.

- De geschiedenis en oorsprong
- Functionaliteit en veelzijdigheid
- Morfologie en raskenmerken
- De unieke eigenschappen van de Cartujano
- Wat maakt deze paarden zo bijzonder binnen de PRE?

En natuurlijk: de visie en ervaring vanuit een fokker die dagelijks met deze bijzondere bloedlijnen werkt.

De presentatie wordt bovendien ondersteund door live voorbeelden van diverse zuivere Cartujano paarden. Je krijgt dus niet alleen het verhaal te horen, maar kunt met eigen ogen zien waar Francisco over vertelt.

De lezing heeft Francisco Yeguada Residelca vorig jaar ook in het Engels gepresenteerd tijdens het congres voor Iberische paarden in Ocala, Florida. Nu krijgen wij de unieke kans om deze lezing in het Nederlands bij te wonen. 🇳🇱

📅 5 september
🕥 Inloop vanaf 10.30 uur
🎤 Aanvang lezing: 11.00 uur
🏡 Locatie: Kortenbos 1, Meerlo, Nederland.

Of je nu al jarenlang liefhebber bent van de PRE, geïnteresseerd bent in fokkerij en bloedlijnen, een zwak hebt voor barokke paarden of simpelweg nieuwsgierig bent naar een ras dat maar weinig mensen écht kennen…

Deze dag wil je niet missen. ❤️

👉 Tickets & meer informatie: Link in de bio

Kom luisteren, kijken, vragen stellen en vooral: het Cartujano paard zelf ervaren.

🇪🇸 Een bijzonder paard. Een bijzondere geschiedenis. Een bijzondere dag. 🇪🇸

01/08/2026

Bye bye Summer Academy ‘26
It was lovely to see you all again! 🤗

16/07/2026

Overwhelmed by your kindness ❤️

After sharing the heartbreaking news of Emperador’s passing, we have been deeply touched by the incredible amount of love, support, and kind messages we have received from all over the world.

Every single message, every thought, every shared memory and every kind word has meant more than we can express. During a time of unimaginable sadness, you have reminded us how special the bond is between people and their horses, and how deeply the story of Triana and Emperador has touched so many hearts.

Many of you have asked if there is anything you can do to help or support us. We hesitated for a long time, because asking for help is not something that comes naturally to us. But after so many requests, we decided to create a GoFundMe page.

The past weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster. After losing our beloved Triana shortly after giving birth, we did everything we could to give Emperador the best possible chance. This meant arranging a foster mare for him, providing intensive care, and later fighting alongside an incredible veterinary team when he developed a severe joint infection and bloodstream infection.

Despite every effort, all the love, and the best care possible, we eventually had to say goodbye to him as well.

The funds raised will help with the extraordinary costs that came with this journey — including the veterinary care for Triana, the care and arrangement of a foster mare for Emperador, and the intensive veterinary treatment and hospitalization needed in his final days.

If you feel touched by their story and would like to contribute, we would be incredibly grateful. But please know that sharing their story, leaving a message, or simply keeping Triana and Emperador in your thoughts means just as much.

Thank you for standing beside us, for your compassion, and for showing how much love exists within the horse community. ❤️

🔗 gofundme link: https://gofund.me/ad2cb70c8

Triana & Emperador — a story of love, hope and loss.

14/07/2026

Emperador

12-06-‘26 💫 13-07-‘26

Sometimes love is doing everything you possibly can… and still having to say goodbye.

Yesterday, we had to make the heartbreaking decision to let Emperador go.

After losing his mother, Triana MLG, shortly after his birth, we promised her we would do everything in our power to give her c**t the life she never had the chance to share with him. We kept that promise.

When Emperador suddenly developed a severe infection in his knee joint, he was admitted to the clinic immediately. He underwent two joint lavages, and at first there was hope. On Wednesday, the bacterial count had dropped significantly. But by Thursday it started to rise again.

Last Friday, the final laboratory results confirmed our biggest fear: Emperador was fighting a Salmonella infection in his knee joint. A highly resistant bacterium that required a change in antibiotics. Despite intensive treatment, the new antibiotics did not work. His pain increased, his fever returned, and even with NSAIDs he could no longer be kept comfortable.

There comes a moment when love means letting go instead of holding on.

Yesterday, we gave him the peace he deserved.

We find comfort in the thought that he is finally reunited with his mother. Triana was an exceptional mare and an incredible mother, and somehow it eases the pain to imagine them together again.

For us, the silence they leave behind is overwhelming.

Losing both Triana and Emperador in such a short time is devastating. As a small breeder, this is not only an enormous emotional loss but also a significant financial one. But above all, we have lost two horses who meant the world to us.

To everyone who followed Emperador’s journey, sent messages, kept him in your thoughts, or simply cared—thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your support has meant more than words can express.

Run free, sweet Emperador.

You were loved every single day of your life, and you always will be. 🤍

06/07/2026

Last night took an unexpected and frightening turn…

When we brought Emperador in from the field, he was suddenly severely lame on his right hind leg. His knee was swollen, he refused to bear weight on it, and he had a fever of almost 40°C (104°F).

After my veterinarian examined him and suspected a septic joint (joint infection), we immediately loaded Emperador and his foster mare into the truck and drove to the referral clinic.

One thing I’d like to highlight is how incredibly important colostrum is for every newborn foal.

Unlike many other species, foals are born with virtually no antibodies because these do not pass through the equine placenta during pregnancy. Their immune system depends almost entirely on the antibodies (immunoglobulins) they absorb from their dam’s colostrum during the first hours after birth. This passive transfer gives them the protection they need until their own immune system matures enough to produce antibodies on its own.

When antibody levels are lower than ideal, or when a foal is under stress or fighting an infection, the immune system has to work much harder. During an active infection, these antibodies are consumed as part of the immune response, making it even more important that a young foal has an adequate supply to begin with.

Foals with an immature or weakened immune system are unfortunately at greater risk of developing a bloodstream infection. Bacteria can spread through the blood and settle in joints, causing a septic arthritis—a true medical emergency.

At the clinic, X-rays fortunately showed no damage to the joint itself. A joint tap yielded only a small amount of fluid, but the team immediately treated the joint with antibiotics while further diagnostics continued.

This morning, the analysis of the joint fluid confirmed what we feared: a bacterial infection in his knee joint. The joint fluid has been sent for culture so the laboratory can identify the exact bacteria and determine which antibiotics will be most effective.

This afternoon, Emperador underwent arthroscopy, where the joint was thoroughly flushed to remove inflammatory material and bacteria. Thankfully, the surgeons found no damage to the cartilage or bone. The infection appears to have been confined to the synovial membrane, which gives him a much better prognosis than if the infection had already damaged the joint surfaces.

His blood work also showed that his antibody levels were a little lower than we’d like, so he received an additional plasma transfusion to provide extra antibodies and help support his immune system while he fights this infection.

The next few days will be incredibly important. We need the antibiotics to start working, we hope the bacteria prove to be susceptible to treatment, and most importantly, we hope his immune system can keep any further infections under control so no other joints become affected.

We’re holding onto every bit of hope.

Please keep this little fighter in your thoughts. He could really use all the positive energy and prayers right now. ❤️🍀

16/06/2026

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming amount of love, support, and kind messages after the loss of Emperador’s mother Triana. I simply cannot reply to each message personally, but please know that every single one has been read and deeply appreciated. Your support has meant so much during this difficult time.

Today I went to visit Emperador, and I’m very happy to share that he is doing incredibly well. He has settled in nicely with his new foster mother, and the bond between them continues to grow stronger every day. Seeing him happy, healthy, and thriving brings me so much comfort.

The team caring for him has decided to start gradually reducing the additional milk supplement he has been receiving, which is another positive sign that things are moving in the right direction.

If everything continues to go as planned, I will most likely be bringing them home on Thursday evening, before the temperatures become too high for transport.

Thank you all again for your kindness, encouragement, and for keeping Emperador in your thoughts. We are incredibly grateful. ❤️

14/06/2026

13/06/2026

Dear everyone,

First of all, thank you so much for all your kind messages. I’m sorry for the late update — I’ve only just walked through the door.

What can I say… It has been an absolutely horrific night and day.

At 3:00 a.m. last night, I found Triana suffering from an extremely severe colic attack. I had checked on her for the last time at 12:30 a.m. and had only gone to lie down for a little while. Thankfully, I was able to move the foal into the adjoining pen, because otherwise she would have completely crushed him.
She was drenched in sweat, throwing herself onto the ground and against the walls, and was no longer stable enough to be transported to a clinic. The vet came to us, and after she had been given morphine and sedation, she could finally be examined.
Her pulse was extremely weak, her lactate level was already at 11 (it should be below 1), and there were no gut sounds at all. There was no chance of survival, and at that point you have to think about the foal.

So after further sedation, we milked the mare and then, as heartbreaking as it was, we had to let her go.

The foal desperately pawed at his mother, trying to wake her up. He lay beside her and drank some of the milk we had managed to collect. It was absolutely heart-wrenching to witness.

After that, we milked our other mares, and Ed drove to the clinic to collect milk replacer. In the meantime, I had to find a foster mother for him. Thankfully, the wonderful team at still had foster mares available, and they agreed to take Emperador in. 🍀

Once we had enough milk into the foal, we loaded him up and carefully made the journey to Belgium.

He received a very warm welcome there. He was thoroughly examined, and they checked whether he had received enough colostrum to develop antibodies. Thankfully, he had.

Once he had drunk from a bucket and fallen asleep, we drove back home. Triana was still lying in the stable, and we needed to prepare everything and lay her to rest with dignity before her body is collected on Monday.

I feel as though I have no tears left, yet they keep coming. It has felt like living through a nightmare.

But in the middle of all this heartbreak, something truly beautiful happened.

This evening, Emperador was given the sweetest adoptive mother. ❤️‍🩹

My heart is broken and grieving for Triana, but I am so incredibly grateful that Emperador will grow up knowing a mother’s love.