Biography

It is a first Badminton for amateur Belgian rider Wouter De Cleene (37) who is based in Verrebroek (to the west of Antwerp). With Badminton entry Quinteram Wouter completed Pau last year – a first 5* for rider and horse. Wouter is a manager with the Belgian road construction company VMB Aannemingen.

Wouter’s family is a ‘true eventing family’. His uncle Dirk van Mieghem was the first Belgian to finish Badminton with his horse Nancledra. All the nephews and nieces from the Van Mieghem family have participated in Belgian and European championships in eventing (especially in the youth competitions.) But none of the cousins has ever had the chance to follow in uncle Dirk’s footsteps and compete at Badminton. Since he was young, it has been Wouter’s greatest dream to achieve this one day.

In 2002 Wouter became  European champion with his pony Quintina jr. Breemeersen and in 2017 he won individual and team gold with Alaric De Lauzelle at the European championships for rural riders in Tongeren (Belgium).

He has represented Belgium at the world young horse championships on several occasions and has some young horses (Ragdoll De Tamise, Si Belle van ‘t Schoor), who he hopes will progress to the highest level.

Wouter is married to Katrien and the couple has two children aged 5 & 3 years. He trains with Kai Steffen Meier and Raf Kooremans. Riding takes most of Wouter’s free time and he enjoys quality time with the family and ‘one good ski trip a year’

Quintera is a 13-year-old German-bred Hannoverian mare. Bred by Carsten Haack she is by jumping stallion Quintender 2 out of mare by the thoroughbred Waldstar. She was acquired by her owner Bart Goeminne and Wouter’s brother Pieter as a 3-year-old in Germany and has been stabled with Wouter since a four-year-old. She is described by Wouter as ‘a special mare with a heart of gold’.