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glenatronWhile we were in the area it seemed sensible to take the opportunity to visit the Ecole Nationale d'Equitation in Saumur, home of Haute Ecole and the instructors of the Cadre Noir who maintain and teach the methods of French classical riding.
This very spectacular sculpture stands by the motorway as you approach Saumur from the north.
The thing that strikes you as you visit the Centre National d'Equitation is the sheer scale of the place. The main indoor arena is huge with an enormous expanse of sand and then banked seating all around it. It's not just a question of size, though- it's also beautifully designed. Whereas the British approach is to put up the cheapest shed possible, the French really care about their public buildings and the outcome is very obvious:
There was a side-saddle lesson going on in the arena as our tour began- this gives an idea of the main arena.
In addition to this there are another five indoor arenas (the ones we passed during the tour all inclined to the elegant rather than shedlike) as well as fifteen outdoor arenas and acommodation for up to five hundred horses.
The centre is divided up into four areas, one for the "prestige" horses that do the Cadre Noir demonstrations and the other three for the more conventional disciplines of Dressage, Showjumping and Eventing. The Cadre Noir shows are famous for their demonstration of the Courbette, Croupade and Cabriole. We weren't around for any demonstrations but seeing it on video with the rider sat steadily with his hands clasped behind his back and no stirrups as the horse performes the Cabriole, which is basically an enormous buck, is impressive.
The stables are much as you would expect, but with an under-floor manure collection system that conveyers everything out to the muckheaps to save on wheelbarrows. The tour passed around a couple of banks of stables where people got to meet the horses, or in the case of small bratty children stick their fingers up the horses' noses. In a way I found this a bit depressing- for all the luxury of their setup there is no turnout and I don't believe I will ever be persuaded that it is acceptable to keep a horse locked in a small cage for 22 hours of the day for it's entire working life, no matter how great the other two hours are.
The tour also passed through the tack room where they store the saddles and bridles of the prestige horses. The saddles are a very traditional design, presumably originally used for cavalry work, with two panels on each side of the horse's back and arches across the front and back to provide wither clearance. The reins they use are colour coded so the milder bit is on a white or purple rein while the curb is black:
For me the highlight of the tour was stopping by at the main arena on the way back where we had a chance to watch a young horse being schooled. It was a pleasure to see them in action just working on basic shapes in different gaits, their interplay with the light cast from the enormous skylights in the ceiling making it very aesthetically pleasing to watch.
The horse was a slightly unusual colour, being chestnut with a roan behind, presumably a step towards the spotty apaloosa colouring, although I doubt there is any direct relationship- they are very specific about using French horses. Except maybe for the odd Lusitano.
One thing that was really clear was that this is where most of the top level riders in France have been trained at some time and it was created with massive investment from the state between the ministry for sport, the ministry for young people and the military (the Cadre Noir was developed as a Cavalry school and there are still some French Cavalry units, although like the British ones they tend to keep their horses ceremonial and take tanks onto the battlefield these days.) I simply cannot imagine any sport in this country having that kind of central investment. I don't really hold an opinion on that- we still seem to do fine in some sports - but I do find the difference in approach interesting. The downside is that we will never have such impressive riding facilities available to any talented British rider as the French do.
This very spectacular sculpture stands by the motorway as you approach Saumur from the north.
The thing that strikes you as you visit the Centre National d'Equitation is the sheer scale of the place. The main indoor arena is huge with an enormous expanse of sand and then banked seating all around it. It's not just a question of size, though- it's also beautifully designed. Whereas the British approach is to put up the cheapest shed possible, the French really care about their public buildings and the outcome is very obvious:
There was a side-saddle lesson going on in the arena as our tour began- this gives an idea of the main arena.
In addition to this there are another five indoor arenas (the ones we passed during the tour all inclined to the elegant rather than shedlike) as well as fifteen outdoor arenas and acommodation for up to five hundred horses.
The centre is divided up into four areas, one for the "prestige" horses that do the Cadre Noir demonstrations and the other three for the more conventional disciplines of Dressage, Showjumping and Eventing. The Cadre Noir shows are famous for their demonstration of the Courbette, Croupade and Cabriole. We weren't around for any demonstrations but seeing it on video with the rider sat steadily with his hands clasped behind his back and no stirrups as the horse performes the Cabriole, which is basically an enormous buck, is impressive.
The stables are much as you would expect, but with an under-floor manure collection system that conveyers everything out to the muckheaps to save on wheelbarrows. The tour passed around a couple of banks of stables where people got to meet the horses, or in the case of small bratty children stick their fingers up the horses' noses. In a way I found this a bit depressing- for all the luxury of their setup there is no turnout and I don't believe I will ever be persuaded that it is acceptable to keep a horse locked in a small cage for 22 hours of the day for it's entire working life, no matter how great the other two hours are.
The tour also passed through the tack room where they store the saddles and bridles of the prestige horses. The saddles are a very traditional design, presumably originally used for cavalry work, with two panels on each side of the horse's back and arches across the front and back to provide wither clearance. The reins they use are colour coded so the milder bit is on a white or purple rein while the curb is black:
For me the highlight of the tour was stopping by at the main arena on the way back where we had a chance to watch a young horse being schooled. It was a pleasure to see them in action just working on basic shapes in different gaits, their interplay with the light cast from the enormous skylights in the ceiling making it very aesthetically pleasing to watch.
The horse was a slightly unusual colour, being chestnut with a roan behind, presumably a step towards the spotty apaloosa colouring, although I doubt there is any direct relationship- they are very specific about using French horses. Except maybe for the odd Lusitano.
One thing that was really clear was that this is where most of the top level riders in France have been trained at some time and it was created with massive investment from the state between the ministry for sport, the ministry for young people and the military (the Cadre Noir was developed as a Cavalry school and there are still some French Cavalry units, although like the British ones they tend to keep their horses ceremonial and take tanks onto the battlefield these days.) I simply cannot imagine any sport in this country having that kind of central investment. I don't really hold an opinion on that- we still seem to do fine in some sports - but I do find the difference in approach interesting. The downside is that we will never have such impressive riding facilities available to any talented British rider as the French do.