Equestrianism is the third most popular Olympic sport in France, and the leading sport for women.
Stemming from military practices and a long tradition of teaching by equestrians such as La Guérinière and François Baucher, traditional French equestrianism is essentially represented at the Cadre Noir de Saumur. The practice of equestrianism has evolved towards sport and leisure, opening up to the general public. At the end of the 20th century, the sport became much more democratic, with a sharp rise in the number of riders, particularly young people and women. The teaching of equestrianism as a leisure sport in France is based on the existence of over 8,000 riding schools, which make trained horses available to the public. Their establishment is supported by the French government thanks to a reduced VAT rate from 2004 to 2013. At the end of 2013, riders and industry professionals protested against the increase in VAT on their activity.
France's 2.3 million professional and occasional riders are mostly middle-class, and enjoy contact with nature. The equestrianism industry employs around 45,000 people. A wide variety of disciplines are represented in France, from eventing to horse-ball and endurance, all of which are codified in France, but show jumping accounts for almost 80% of competitions. France is the world's leading organizer of equestrian competitions affiliated to the Fédération équestre internationale, and the leading destination for equestrian tourism. Many professional French riders win medals. Pierre Jonquères d'Oriola remains the most successful show jumper, while Michel Robert and Alexandra Ledermann have also won titles. Eventing also boasts champions such as Jean-Lou Bigot, Jean Teulère and Nicolas Touzaint. France is also one of the leading nations in equestrian endurance. The show business has made a name for itself thanks to artists such as Bartabas, founder of the .
Several official bodies are involved in equestrianism, including the , which awards the diplomas known as "Galops", the , the and the , created in 2010 by the merger of the national stud farms and the . Despite the existence of a number of specialist press titles and two Equidia channels devoted to the subject on television, equestrianism remains a low-profile media activity. It has, however, benefited from major advertising campaigns by the French Equitation Federation, using the childish slogan "" ("Horses are so cool").
History
Military and scholarly tradition
The history of French equestrianism is almost exclusively "military and learned". Although very basic until the 7th century, particularly among the Gauls and Romans, equestrianism flourished with the arrival of the stirrup and more suitable saddles in the society of knights. The introduction of firearms put an end to the domination of heavy cavalry in the 15th century, and riding became a learned art in the early 16th century, under the impetus of the Italians. The aim was to ask the horse to make movements that would "get rid of pedestrians". Salomon de La Broue and Antoine de Pluvinel were the precursors of traditional French equitation. The former's method is known from his book Le cavalerice français (1602). The practice of easing the horse and working on stakes enables the rider to practice airs relevés and airs au-dessus du sol. Learning equitation was a rite of passage for French nobility. François Robichon de La Guérinière is regarded as the "father of French equitation", and his influence extends far beyond France's borders, as the Spanish School of Vienna was founded on his teachings.
La Guérinière's legacy was called into question in the mid-18th century, when court equestrianism showed its limitations in the face of military equitation. Military cavalry schools, notably those in Paris and Saumur, taught horseback riding exclusively for war, to train cavalry. The French Revolution led to their abolition. From 1825 onwards, the history of French-style equitation became intertwined with the Saumur Cavalry School, the future Cadre Noir. Two great equestrians, the Viscount d'Aure and François Baucher, opposed their principles, which were eventually brought together in the doctrine of General Alexis L'Hotte, and his famous motto: "Calm, forward and straight". Until 1945, at the Saumur school, the horse was seen only as a military animal. These military and scholarly equestrian practices continued into the 21st century, but in the meantime French society was turning largely to sport and leisure, which opened up new outlets for equitation. The preservation of traditional French equestrianism took shape with the training mission of the Cadre Noir de Saumur, and the creation of the École Nationale d'Equitation in 1972.
Before the advent of motorized transport, equestrianism and carriage driving were part of everyday life for many French people. The division of départements in 1790 meant that, in principle, every Frenchman could reach the prefecture of his département in less than a day's riding.
Development of equestrianism and equestrian sport
The beginnings of equestrianism in France coincided with the development of horse racing and steeplechase racing in England. Although the principle of horse racing had long been known, it wasn't until the end of the 18th century that English-style racing was introduced in France, and only at the end of the following century that it was codified. At the time, the sport was essentially reserved for the social elite. In 1865, the was founded to improve the breeding of thoroughbred racehorses. The 20th century saw the democratization of horseracing, which became a popular sport. The PMU was created in 1931 and the tiercé in 1954. However, it was the lure of gambling rather than the love of the horse that attracted the public to equestrian sports.
Through the military, equestrianism developed as a sport. Cavalry training included obstacle courses. The first equestrian endurance raids were a military creation, as was the cheval d'armes course, which was to become the equestrian event. The rules were organized with the integration of the three Olympic equestrian sports (show jumping, dressage and eventing) in Stockholm in 1912. France joined the Fédération équestre internationale and created the (FFSE) in 1921. It worked with the to organize equestrianism in the country until 1943, when it became autonomous. As military cavalries lost their role, regional equestrianism leagues were gradually set up in France to promote civilian riding. As early as 1933, the Haras Nationaux saw the value of supporting the development of civilian equestrianism and promoted rural and urban equestrian societies. The FFSE was attached to the Ministry of Youth and Sport, and became the only organization authorized to manage equestrian sports in France. Many former military riders, deprived of their role in the army, became civilian equestrianism teachers. Until the 1950s, French equestrianism remained highly elitist, reserved for a privileged few, with the aim of training sport riders.
The demilitarization of equestrianism can be seen in the transition of the Cadre Noir de Saumur to civilian status in 1969. It too was attached to the Ministry of Sports. It was also at the end of the 1960s that the last civilian equestrianism teachers from military backgrounds retired, making way for a new generation of civilian riders. The changeover took around twenty-five years, or one generation.
Opening up to the general public
From the 1960s onwards, new riders from outside the military world began to seek leisure activities close to nature and contact with horses, for a purpose other than sport. In 1963, the Association nationale pour le tourisme équestre (National Association for Equestrian Tourism) was created independently, with the help of the national stud farms, to meet the demand for outdoor leisure sports. The number of equestrians in France rose spectacularly, from 30,000 after the Second World War to 620,000 in 2001, of whom 432,500 were members of the French equestrianism Federation. The arrival of these new riders has revolutionized the equestrian landscape, introducing a new culture and a new relationship with the animal. Equestrian practices, exotic or scorned by classic military riders, are developing.
From the 1950s onwards, horse trekking and, above all, horse tourism enabled people to organize their vacations around equestrianism. However, before any structure was put in place, unscrupulous horse-rental companies proliferated in tourist areas, with insufficient respect for animals. Pony equestrianism, influenced by the Anglo-Saxons, brings children closer to the world of horses from an early age. Ponies became an integral part of the "classes vertes" program in the 1970s, and the Poney Club de France was created in 1971 with the support of the Haras. Pony-riding made its debut in schools. This trend is indicative of the democratization of the sport. In 1965, the first state equestrian diplomas were awarded. The 1970s saw a rapprochement between the various equestrian organizations in France. In 1999, a reform definitively merged the three entities managing pony riding, equestrian tourism and equestrian sports into a single FFE.
Equestrian practices became more playful (pony-games), like horse-ball, codified in France in 1978. Exotic equestrianism such as western riding and doma vaquera, among others, were emulated, creating a demand for saddle horses with better handling and more character than the reformed racehorses that made up almost all the teaching staff at riding schools. Equestrian facilities are also developing for private clients, allowing anyone to get close to horses and learn how to ride and care for them. Similarly, the development of "gîtes d'étapes" and equestrian farms enabled private individuals to practice equitation without any federal supervision, as the 200,000 independent riders estimated at the end of the 20th century were fond of riding alone.
Equitation has developed thanks to a reduced tax rate (VAT at 5.5% from 2004 to 2013), which has enabled many riding schools to be set up, with strong growth over the decade 2000. The number of riders has increased by 60%. Equestrian facilities play a major role in the "democratization" phenomenon. Ethnologist Jean-Pierre Digard refers to the "massification" of horse riding. +Years19841985199019952000200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016Trends in equestrian licenses in France145,071147,108214,007325,670434,980513,615523,696553,560600,805650,437687,334705,783706,449694,480689,044673,026663,194
Equitaxe
In 2013 the number of licensed riders fell for the first time, a phenomenon the FFE attributes to the economic crisis. At the end of the same year, an increase in VAT on equestrian activities is decided in France under François Hollande's government for January 2014. Dubbed Équitaxe or "Equi-tax", its implementation follows a series of conflicts between the French government and the European Union. On 22 October 2013, an amendment was proposed to the National Assembly to raise the VAT applicable to the equestrian sector by 13 points, from 7% to 20%. As soon as it became known, this amendment provoked strong reactions from the equestrian community. Equestrian events represent a "perhaps unprecedented event in French history".
A nationwide demonstration was organized on 24 November in response to a call from official bodies (, and FNSEA), and attracted thousands of demonstrators (5,000 according to the police prefecture, 15,000 to over 20,000 (and 1,000 ponies) according to the organizers). The law was implemented on 1 January 2014, then amended on 31 January, with the reintroduction of a reduced rate applicable to services for the use of sports facilities.
Sociology