How Boekelo Is Just One Big Party

Het was vandaag volle bak bij Military Boekelo – Enschede Like als je er ook bij was!#MBE15Foto: Abbink Fotografie

Posted by Military Boekelo – Enschede on Saturday, October 10, 2015

“It was a full house.”

The Military-Boekelo Enschede in the Netherlands isn’t just a horse show, it’s an outing. Spectators turn out in droves to enjoy the festivities. There are bouncy castles for the kids, beer gardens for the adults and plenty of shopping. Combine all that with the thrill of cross country and it sounds like a perfectly good Saturday spent with 60,000 of your closest friends!

Boekelo: Website, Entries, Schedule, XC Order of Go, Live Stream, Live Scores, Team Standings, EN’s Coverage, @eventingnation, EN’s Instagram

Boekelo’s definitely gone on my bucket list. The horses are the highlight, obviously.

Here is Lauren Kieffer and Landmark’s Monte Carlo, the highest placed American pair in tenth after cross country. (Click to play)


Buck bomb.

Kijk een paard #horse #race #military A photo posted by Jim Tolman (@langenzo) on


The caption reads, “Fun day had at the Military-Boekelo with family.”

Leuk dagje op de military in boekelo gehad met familie de Vries/Wijnbergen/Groeneweg/Hondebrink

A photo posted by Lynn Steeman (@xlynn2806) on


But when you turn the camera away from the galloping lanes, things miiiight start getting rowdy as the day progresses. Feestje is a Dutch word for “party” and that’s basically what Boekelo is, in a word. And the Dutch go all out.

Great day at East Netherlands yearly tradition: the Military @ Boekelo! A photo posted by tacopotze (@tacopotze) on


#feestje

#MBE15

A photo posted by @matroosje on


One thing I noticed on the live stream this morning as the camera panned across the crowd and zoomed in on spectators – which happened as frequently as a horse galloping through the frame – is the Dutch are really quite stylish. I saw fur coats, you guys.

Military maatjes A photo posted by Senna Karim (@sennakarim) on


How do these people do it? I’m lucky if I leave this house without wellies and a t-shirt from a horse show 10 years ago.

Rara waar zijn we. Bonnie&Clyde #MBE15 #Military #Boekelo #Mieters #Feestje

A photo posted by Kylie Bollegraf (@kyliemero) on


This is the last one I swear. (pssst, I love how your hat matches your lipstick, lindaeertink). Oh wait, she’s actually a model. Models hang out at Boekelo. #feestje!


Let’s go back to the horses.

Boekelo was so much fun, had a lovely day #military #Boekelo

A photo posted by Sanne (@sanneth96) on


(Click to play)

It was so much fun at the military with my best friend ❤️ @flapppie A video posted by all about me & horses (@my.horseslife) on


Is it just me, or are they standing really close to the fence?

Paarden zijn sowieso cool #military #boekelo #crosscountry #horse #loveit #unomas #metdankaannemidupuis

A photo posted by Cécile Sayuri | Amsterdam | (@cecilevanunen) on


HORSIE #boekelo #military #maspan #hindernis3 #crosscountry #galloperenddoorhetsticht #meerpaarden

A photo posted by Cécile Sayuri | Amsterdam | (@cecilevanunen) on


(Click to Play)


 

#militaryboekelo2015 #militaryboekelo #horseriding #boekelo A photo posted by Edwin Plokker (@edwin13ok) on


(Click to play)


 

Military Boekelo 2015 #mbe2015 #militaryboekelo #horse #event #boekelo #enschede #igersenschede #igersholland #horsesofinstagram #horses A photo posted by g e r b e n h i l b r i n k (@gerbenhilbrink) on


Josephine Schnaufer’s Sambucca 10 left out an entire stride before the bank at the first water. (Click to play)

Last 5 !!!

A video posted by Stephen Pegg (@sdpegg) on


(Click to play)

#mbe15 A video posted by @fleur_van_dijk on


(Click to play)


But this seems like as good a place as any to bring this roundup to a close:

A photo posted by Robert ten Thije (@r.tenthije) on

I didn’t really make it past the Military Boekelo Instagram hashtag and there is more where that came from, so for more horses, style and feestje, click here.