BK The Horse Connection
BK The Horse Connection is my new company specialized in translating dressage basics/flatwork (jumping and eventing) in a
fun and effective way, making them understandable and enjoyable for riders of all levels.
Are you a professional rider looking for a better system for your dressage basics, so they become a winning combination for you? Do you have a problem training your horse? Or are you a highly motivated amateur who wants to understand their horse better?
I can help you achieve the right connection!
With more than 25 years of experience and a unique life story, I can support your riding with joy, involvement, and effectiveness,
enabling you to be the very best version of yourself in the competition arena.
My training is known for its honesty, clarity, structure, foundation, and always being tailored as closely as possible to the horse and rider.
For professionals or motivated amateurs who prefer coaching regarding setting clearer goals. Or want to regain more focus on where they want to go with their sporting career.
Passion for training and coaching
Sometimes equestrian sports and everything that comes with it can be overwhelming, making it difficult to keep your original goal or motivation in sight. You might need someone to help you get this clearly back into focus, or someone to help set new goals.
I have a lot of experience providing this kind of support, partly due to my own life and more than 25 years of guiding students. Although riders are generally somewhat hesitant about this type of support, it is indeed a success factor that can give your entire equestrian career that focus, allowing you to outperform the competition.
Due to my interests in new insights, meeting new people and recently changed situation, it would also be an option for me to travel abroad or work via video connection. Or new challenges that fits my life and skills.
Such as giving lectures to (youth) groups or (business) clubs about adversity and resilience based on my life, in which I was unnecessarily ill for a decades and recently recovered. And how my life with horses did positively change outcomes through resourcefulness, perseverance, and meeting the right people.
The Horse Connection is a long-running successful concept, ready to support more riders so that they and their horses are ready for the next step towards success.
The Horse Connection is located in the Apeldoorn region, The Netherlands. Travel within the Netherlands or Europe is possible. Other parts of the world are negotiable.
For riders who want in-house training, there is KH Riding Support in collaboration with the Krimhoeve Hoenderloo.
“Train like you've never won, compete like you've never lost”
Nice to meet...
Hello, my name is Barbara Kleerekooper and I have more than 25 years of experience as a bereiter, rider, and trainer. I have been training sport horses and riders since my childhood. Initially, I did this alongside my school and studies. My ability to train riders and sport horses in a structured and enjoyable way to become better athletes has ensured that riders have always found me.
Originally, I was a Financial professional after studying Business Economics, alongside my equestrian activities, until I became seriously ill. Initially, I was misdiagnosed, only decades later it became clear that I had kidney disease. The time between when I got ill and received the correct diagnosis, led me to continue my equestrian business on a small and manageable scale. I wanted to focus on gaining more knowledge about training horses, breeding, retraining talented horses with training problems, rider fitness, coaching and teaching.
Competition riding took a back seat due to illness. This meant that for years I was the driving force behind other successful riders.
Recently, the kidney disease was cured through a lengthy process that ended with two operations, and I have been completely cured since February 2025. This has motivated me to compete more myself, resulting in many successes. I have also taken up many new activities that I never thought I would be able to do myself. The best thing is that I can share my (equestrian) life with my family.
Being better has been the greatest gift. Although I am successful and my unusual life story, I believe that you should always try to be positive and grow further, which is why my ambitions are mainly to develop myself further.
“Acknowledge all of your small victories, they will eventually add up to something great”
Vision
Sport horses have always played a constant role in my life. For as long as I can remember, sport horses were bred and trained at our home. Working with horses, my interest in how they feel optimal and develop in the best way possible, is truly embedded in my DNA.
My training method is known for its honesty, clarity, discipline, foundation, and always being tailored as closely as possible to the horse and rider.
Because I was confronted with an extremely rare disease at a young age, which was only correctly diagnosed decades later, horses and equestrian sports have taken on a different meaning for me. As a young and successful equestrian, I believed that my sporting achievements were my motivation and reason for riding. When I fell ill, my interest remained. To keep my mind off being sick, I did things that were possible: supporting others, getting horses back on track, developing training programs, mental coaching, rider fitness and providing purchase guidance.
During that period, I discovered that I enjoy helping future generations literally get a firmer grip on the saddle. It also gave me the opportunity to view many things from a different perspective. As a result, I have extensive experience and skills regarding styles and various sport horses. I still enjoy watching riders and trainers who, in my opinion, contribute something valuable and positive to the future of equestrian sports.
Moreover, my illness has encouraged me to focus less on success and winning in the short term. You don’t choose to be seriously ill or misdiagnosed, but by persevering and constantly working on things that can grow, you take steps forward. When something is not successful the first time, I don’t consider that a significant problem if it motivates me to approach things differently or better. Then you still win! Even with horses, you never know exactly how things will turn out, and focusing on improvement and enjoyment is certainly a path to success.