G.S.P.V. Parafrid - English

SEPTEMBER 2021

In September we could finally ride again after the summer break. This also announced the start of Parafrid’s 7th lustrum! That’s why on the 17th, 18th and 19th of September the Lustrum weekend was celebrated, starting off with a ‘The Great Gatsby’ themed party at Sunny beach on the 17th. On the 18th Les Chevaux hosted a scare training, followed by a trail ride at Knollegruun. At the end of the day food and drinks were enjoyed at restaurant Goudkantoor. On the 19th there was a WE (working equitation) clinic, and the final activity of the weekend was a fun game of bowling enjoyed with snacks and drinks.

On the 20th of September, an information evening was organised, mainly for new members, to introduce people to the association and its committees while enjoying a drink.

On September 30th, the super fun running dinner took place. The lovely hosts were alternately visited by the different groups for delicious appetisers, main courses, and desserts. Everyone was invited to join for drinks at Sunny Beach to end the evening on a high note.

OCTOBER 2021

On both the 1st and 8th of October it was time to do gymnastics on a horse. Marlot instructed the two vaulting clinics, during which the participants learned how to perform various tricks in walk, trot, and canter. For some it took some trial and error, whereas others appeared to be naturals. Either way, another experience to add to the list, and this way you learn something new about yourself!

On the 10th of October the troops gathered at Tasmania Groningen for a serious game of laser tag. Once equipped with a laser gun and harness the first two teams went head to head. In the meantime the waiting sharpshooters of the next teams could enjoy themselves with a game of darts. Afterwards we replenished our strength with a delicious dinner at Ons Eetcafé 2 Jongens.

On October 16th the various committee members went head to head during multiple games of human foosball. Everyone was very competitive, although the level of talent wasn’t always that high. At the end there was a nice handing out of gifts, and after the intensive activities some delicious tapas was enjoyed at El Txoko.

On the 24th of October some of our members joined the dressage clinic at Les Chevaux in Buinen. Multiple lessons were given, in order to include riders of all levels. Altogether, it was a fun and educational day!

On October 28th our Barcie organised an exciting Halloween drink at Café de Doos. Beforehand we enjoyed some delightful burgers at The Blokes, with choices for all including meat, vegetarian and vegan options. The night was a success, and many came dressed up in spooky costumes.

NOVEMBER 2021

On the 6th and 7th of November it was finally time for the first SO (student meetup) of the year. Hipac of the stables Groenewoude in Woudenberg organised the event. There were competitions in the classes Ba, Bb, La and Lb dressage, as well as B jumping. The party’s theme this time around was Pokémon. Eventually, Heleen finished in 1st place in the B jumping category with Anouk in 3rd place. Sadly, none of our members made it to the dressage finals, however, Heleen did make 3rd place in La dressage and Linda made 4th place in the Bb.

On November 30th we were welcomed by Fjordenpaard in Een for a hubertus ride. This event was only for our more experienced riders, since there were some obstacles during the ride as well as a lovely gallop. It took a while before we were on our way, since the horses were not in the mood to leave their meadow.

On the 20th of November some of our members helped Sinterklaas out by getting him to Groningen safely. They started on the boat, in which some of the  more brave members wound up all the way at the top of the ship’s mast. Dressed as noblemen, they then rode their horses through the city centre together with Sinterklaas. Once arrived at the Academiegebouw the noblemen formed an honorary guard for Sinterklaas, after which the day came to an end.

On November 25th there was another enjoyable Barcie-dinner. We were invited to Café de Doos where delicious pizzas were delivered to us. A game of musical bingo was played, after which some of our members went home with some really nice t-shirts.

DECEMBER 2021

On the 6th of December we celebrated Sinterklaas by having an online pubquiz. Due to Covid-19 we weren’t able to all gather in the same place, however, if team members wanted to they were welcome to get together amongst themselves. The questions were of course Sinterklaas themed, ranging from facts to sing-alongs of classic Sinterklaas songs.

Unfortunately, a big part of the events that were planned for December and January had to be cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.

JANUARY 2022

On January 29th it was again time for a dressage competition between the Parafrid members at the Bongered, organised by the SOPcie. The riders competed in class Ba, Bb, La, Lb and M. Despite it being a dark and rainy day, the many present members managed to turn it into a fun and cosy evening. All the winners of the day can be seen in the picture below.

FEBRUARY 2022

On the 3rd of February we traded in our riding boots for some skates and took to the ice. It was a bit cold to begin with but we were all nice and toasty after a couple of rounds around the rink.

On February 13th we were guests at Manege Gasselte for a jumping clinic. The riders’ different experience levels were taken into account, from beginners to advanced with a broad choice of obstacles, so there was something for everyone. While one group was riding, the others could watch from the sideline or canteen while enjoying a drink or a snack. Definitely worth doing again!

On the 17th of February, after having to miss out on the Christmas themed Sinterklaas social due to Covid-19 restrictions, Parafrid members were excited to finally take part in a themed dinner and social afterwards - this time around Carnival. The evening was set off with a delicious dinner at Bodega y Tapas, with lots of Tapas and drinks. To celebrate finally being able to go out again, the social was then continued at Café de Doos, and of course accompanied by good music and some drinking games.

On February the 20th it was time for SO Concorde, organised by ESRV Concorde in Eindhoven, where our members participated in the dressage competition. Starting the day off before the crack of dawn on a weekend was probably not the best start to the event, but after participants slowly woke up from some car karaoke (or slept through it), some energy was restored. After signing in for the competition and several mix ups with the draws, there was no time wasted to get the first riders up and riding. And after a day full of quarter- and semi-finals, and some delicious lunch and dinner, Parafrid had some proud placements: 2nd for Ronja Wieggers  in Bb, 1st Melati van der Bij in La, and 2nd for Iris Havemann in M. Tired, but happy, all Parafridders started their stormy, but luckily uneventful journey home.

On the 28th of February the new members activity was organised at Café de Doos. There was a quiz with general questions about Parafrid, as well as questions about music where both the artist and song title had to be guessed. The prize for the winners was a tasty Tony’s Chocolony’s chocolate bar. Among others, there were some questions about how many medals the Netherlands has won in Equestrian sports, however, almost everyone answered those wrong.

MARCH 2022

On the weekend of the 12th and 13th of march, Blok organised their city meeting in Amsterdam. The competition offered Ba, Bb, La dressage and B and L Jumping, and an architecturally beautiful arena to ride in. The theme of the weekend was the Olympic games, to achieve a sense of international competition, and where no one ended up dressing up. A nationality was assigned to each participating association, Parafrid being Brazil. When the last test on saturday ended at midnight, we caught the last trams to get to the scouting location where we would be sleeping. After a late morning and different trips to Starbucks and Bagels & Beans, it was time for the semi finals and finals. Hannah and Annet both made it to the dressage La and Bb semi-finals respectively, with Hannah winning 5th place. Melati walked home with 4th place in B jumping and Merel got 3rd place in B jumping. Everyone was happy but ready to go home and relax after the prize distribution.

On the 17th of March we enjoyed some oven fresh pizzas at Pizzeria Ristorante Catania, with the choice of a royally topped vegetarian, fish, or meat pizza with a drink of choice, before heading off to the auction at Chupitos. Here, the auctioneers tried their hardest and ended up raising a beautiful sum of money for the association with lots of happy customers. The brand new almanacks were also handed out that evening.

On March 20th we could blow off some steam at Jump XL. Cartwheels, front flips, tumbling, and dodgeball were the guiding principles for this exciting event. To shake things up Parafridders traded bouncing around the arena for bouncing on trampolines - also quite the workout!

On the 27th of March there was a Whatsapp puzzle ride in Elsloo, Friesland. Members of Parafrid were present at the event to open gates, help the riders and horses safely cross roads, and best of all, blow bubbles to help the contestants complete their puzzle tasks.