At the beginning of August, Gert-Jan de Vries, owner of manage De Vleet in Andijk, found a broken door in the canteen. The damage is not too bad, but the thieves have made a lot of loot. The money for the annual pony camp has also been included. To cover the costs, De Vries starts a crowdfunding campaign. “The camp continues. It’s great that everyone sympathizes so much.”
It is Friday morning, August 5. After feeding the horses, owner Gert-Jan de Vries walks calmly through the grounds until he arrives at the canteen. The door has been broken open. “When I saw that door, I already knew enough. There was a break-in.”
De Vries walks in to take a look. There he finds a broken cash drawer and a broken cash box. “They were goal-oriented. They were really looking for cash,” notes De Vries, who has been managing the Andijk manage together with Anne-Marie Groenveld since 2018. “No havoc, nothing.”
Damage: about 7,000 euros. “A hard blow. After the accident of Anne-Marie, the entire corona pandemic and the strangles in our horses, this is yet another setback for our stable”, sighs De Vries. “Normally such an amount is never there. But who could have foreseen this, that a management would be broken into?”
He was not the only one at Het Grootslag that night, De Vries knows. “I understand that about six more companies have been targeted. They were looking for cash from everyone.”
Raised almost 3,500 euros
The money for the annual pony camp has also been stolen. A big downer, since the camp is already around the door this weekend. A pony camp is organized before the end of the season for children who take riding lessons at manage De Vleet.
For that reason, De Vries decides to hold a crowdfunding. There is a massive response to this. “The camp will continue as usual. We have received the intended amount. On Friday afternoon there are already 37 children on the doorstep. We have been busy cleaning and the weather forecast looks good. We are looking forward to it and the children are too.”
Because help comes from all sides. For example, bakery Botman will be donating bread for this weekend and a supermarket in West Friesland will bear part of the costs. “Beyond expectations,” says De Vries. “It’s great that everyone sympathizes so much. Even in difficult times, such as now. Even volunteers have signed up to come and help.”