A French Endurance Ride!

Friday September 10 2010

"Let me see - is it easier to ride Tevis or ....... get a licence in France to be able to ride 20km at Le Grand Luce? Which do you think?" asked Carol Arthur, who runs a French riding club, and who's been helping to get me a French endurance riding license.

The answer is: it was much easier riding Tevis!

If one is not an FEI rider, which I am not, one does not just waltz into France and expect to do an 80 km (50 mile) ride like one is accustomed to doing. One does not do a 40 km (25 mile) ride. One does a 20 km. Doesn't help if you try to flash your 4000 AERC miles or your Tevis buckle. One starts off with a 20 km ride. (Twelve miles!)

And that only after some fancy footwork by a number of people. Before I could even apply to get a French endurance riding license, a doctor had to affirm that I am capable. Fortunately, I had the foresight to bring along such a letter from my doctor saying I was alive and kicking. I had her write that I am "capable of participating in extreme sports which would include hang-gliding, mountain climbing and endurance riding to a distance of 100 miles." (You know, just in case I have a hankering to join a climb up Mont Blanc, France's highest peak at 15,771 ft or jump off said mountain in a hang-glider.)

Unfortately, I didn't ask for the precise wording in the letter, so it had to be redone by a French doctor, who I had to go see. Next, Nicky Freud had to arrange for me to get a club license, which was done with Carol via emails, and - I am now qualified to ride 12 miles in France on Dougal, one of Nicky's horses! (Who, by the way, has already competed in 120 and 140 km rides.)

Don't even ask me to explain all the French endurance riding divisions (for example, at the 160-km Florac ride this weekend there are a CEI3*, a CEN3* Amateur and a CEN3* Pro, all at 160km) - for I will be riding 20 kilometers - 12 miles - on Sunday at Le Grand Luce. Stay tuned!

Je Suis Perdu

Tuesday September 8 2010

I am lost.

I know about 10 words in French, three of which might come in handy at some point: I am lost. (Coincidentally, I learned 'perdu' is French for 'lost' - at Seren Arabians in England last week, since they named a colt Seren Perdaius.)

Nicky hauls me and Dougal a couple of miles from home and drops us off. She points the general direction home - through a forest, over a forested ridge, down in the other little valley, and toward the village of Gesvres. Other than Gesvres, the closest I can describe my location, if I must, is 'northwest France.'

And Nicky leaves us, saying, "Dougal knows the way home."


We start out riding along a two track beside a pasture of cows, who turn to follow us, and Dougal trots to leave them behind. We come to a split in the road. Both have old signs that say La Propriété Privée and both lead into the forest - but there is nowhere else to go.

Dougal chooses the right fork. it is little used, a narrow single lane covered with leaves - and it is a Bridlepath. Some of the trees have two horizontal pink stripes, and the number 5.

I thought I could rely on the compass in my head, because it works fairly well when I pay attention to my surroundings - but this is the forest, where you can't see far through the trees, and our track has been gradually curving - but I can't tell how much. There are now dark clouds above so there is no sunlight with which to determine the direction, and I soon lose all sense of orientation.

But Dougal moves forward without hesitation. He turns at some forks in the trail, goes straight past others. Sometimes we are following pink striped tree trunks; sometimes we are not on bridlepaths at all.

At one junction - when I am sure we are heading straight towards home, Dougal turns away on a path to the right. I feel as if we are going opposite of where we should be going but Dougal is sure of where he is going. I don't try to put my two cents worth in. He picks up a canter, and we float along swiftly through the forest, his bare feet falling softly on the grassy track. Perhaps we are getting further away from home, and he just likes to canter this stretch. Perhaps we are heading straight toward our village. I have no idea.

The forest is mostly silent - birds are rare and there's no sign of anything or anyone else. We zig then zag, follow a curving track, make a few more turns. Dougal saunters along, snacking on chestnut leaves as we go along.

And then we emerge onto another small road - and I recognize where we are - at a paddock where Dougal has spent time babysitting a couple of young colts. I know the way home now.

Je ne suis pas perdu - I am not lost!

Les Ecuries du Roc'h

Monday September 6 2010

Even when he was a teenager, Allan Leon knew exactly what he wanted to do. "He was completely focused on endurance, something it was somewhat 'unfashionable' for a teen to get into," says Nicky Freud, fellow endurance rider and trainer. "He was a good rider, and he could have gone into eventing or show jumping, something with a bit more glamour in it, but he was totally set on endurance."

At 31 he's still young, but don't let his tender age fool you. Allan is still passionate about endurance, and he has learned quite a lot about what he's doing through hard work and dedication.


Les Ecuries du Roc'h ('Rocky Stables') are the endurance and sport horse stables owned by Allan Leon and his parents Christian and Sylvie, located in Brittany in the northwest of France.

If you can catch Allan between riding out on his endurance horses, he'll be happy to show you around. "I started out riding when I was 9, for pleasure," he says. It wasn't until several years later that he discovered endurance and did his first endurance ride.

His first horse was not an Arabian. The French Trotter Falpasse du Vivier took Allan on 7 seasons of endurance rides, and in their 29 rides together, they had only one elimination. As Allan's riding experience grew, so did his knowledge. He did an internship in England with a jumping and racing trainer of Thoroughbreds; he worked in the south of France at an endurance stable; he worked as a rider in Dubai for a season; he advised and assisted the Malaysian team - including the King of Malaysia - in Europe in 2006, and in Malaysia in the pre-ride for the Malayasian World Endurance Championship in 2008.

In his work and travels he met the Bahraini endurance team; they gave him a couple of horses from the Royal Stables to train, and he did well enough for them that he was given some more. Now he trains around 10 for them at any one time, one of 3 French trainers to do be doing so.


Les Ecuries du Roc'h is tidy, unpretentious, comfortable, and practical - a barn with a half-dozen stalls and shower-solarium, numerous big paddocks, outdoor arena, and a walking machine. Even riding out 3 horses a day, and with 2 other riders helping him, with all the horses Allan has to train, the walker has become invaluable in his training program, like many of the top trainers around the world have put to use. "Without this walker, I would not be able to train all these horses!"

Allan now has 22-25 horses in full time training (less than a dozen of his own - the rest are for clients) - and about 25 others for breeding, or growing up before they begin their training. The horses in his spacious paddocks (from France, Australia, Bahrain, England, etc) look well-fed and well cared for. Any horse overridden or injured in a ride he'll say to the owner "talk to me in a year" - and the owners will defer to him.

He knows his stuff - he qualifies horses starting at the 20 km distance and he trains horses up to the 160 km distance; he can advise one on what to look for in an endurance horse as to best size, conformation, and breeding.

He has a great sense of humor and he isn't particularly reverent about anybody, because he is confident in what he is doing - and his record speaks for itself. And - if you do factor in his tender age - you'll see he's got a whole lifetime of endurance ahead of him.

Boules

Sunday September 5 2010

This is what you might do in a village in France, while you are waiting to pick Richard up from a horse ride.

Stroll past the old church.


Overlook the picturesque village.


Play Boules, a game that developed around Lyon during the 18th century.

Nearly every little village has a boule court in their park.


Many French and Italian people take this sport very seriously. We don't, perhaps, seeing as our silver balls are a bit cobwebby and rusty.


The object is to get your silver balls closest to the 'jack', a wooden ball. (In our case, the 'jack' is a carefully selected rock). There is strategy involved - the first of which is being able to accurately throw a ball, and trying to knock your opponent's ball out of the way, or the jack.

Which silver ball is closer to the jack - mine or Nicky's?


I of course can't hit the side of a barn if I try (and I will hit it if I don't try), but I can see how the game can be fun and addicting.

Riding the French Alps

Saturday September 4 2010

"Fancy a ride this morning?" Nicky asked.

Of course!

We loaded the trailer with 'Dougal' (nicknamed after a character in "The Magic Roundabout" British cartoon) and 'Shirley Bossy' (nicknamed after Shirley Bassey, Welsh singer - this mare is from Wales), and off we drove to the Alps - the Alpes Mancelles.


These 'alps' are in Normandy, in northwest France - part of the Armorican Massif, an ancient mountain range in western Europe. These mountains, however, unlike the 'real' French Alps in the southeast of France, are quite modest in altitude - the highest peak is about 200 meters. Right-of-way Bridleways run through the area, in the forest, along roads, through the villages, accessible to hikers, bikers and horse riders. We could have gone 50 miles on one of the trails - and not seen a single person, Nicky says.

Our highest climb was maybe a hundred meters, through the forest to a hidden spring, and up onto a ridge, down through the village of Leonards des Bois, across the river on a bridge, and up onto the other ridge overlooking the village. We finished up our loop crossing a gently flowing creek.


I'd have to say everything was just about perfect - the weather, the company, the location, the horse.

I may, in fact, ride Dougal in a French endurance ride next weekend! (Though, because of French rules, it can only be a 20 km ride...)

Oui!

Friday September 3 2010

Northwest France, on the border between Normandy and Loire Valley.

An old farmhouse a couple hundred years old, outside a tiny village.


A converted storage barn.


Converted barn-to-house (that belongs in Architectural Digest).


Rooster crowing before dawn. Chickens in the yard.


Fresh bread going in the oven.


Endurance horses.


Oui, it is heavenly.

Seren Arabians: The Girls

Wednesday September 1 2010

Lest you think it's just the boys that rule the roost at Seren Arabians, there are a couple of gals that need mentioning.


Winter Queen, (by Silvern Idyll out of Queen of Diamonds), 21, is over 90% Crabbet, and was bred by the Duchess of Rutland, and bought by Seren Arabians in 2005. She's the dam of Seren Procyon (by Hanson) who, in August of this year, graded with the highest score for a 3 year old in the endurance section of the BEF Futurity performance grading, with a "higher first" premium, just 0.07 points below the score for "elite".


Winter Queen is also the dam of 2-year-old Seren Bellatrix Malika (by Hanson). She's over 90% Crabbet.


Shadowed Gold, 19, (by St John out of Magic Moonshadow), is 100% Crabbet. She came to Seren Arabians with Winter Queen in 2005. Since arriving here she has produced Seren Hanau in 2008 (by Hanson), the colt which the Atkinsons think will be Hanson's successor as primary stallion. She currently has a colt by her side, Seren Winged Shadow, by Winged Saint.


Seren Canopus Hanifa, 14, (by Hanson out of Hamatan), is 100% Crabbet, bred by Seren Arabians. She has been bred to Winged Saint.


Silihah, 18, (by Silver Fahd out of Malihah), is 100% Crabbet. Seren Arabians got bought her in 2005, as part of the big push to get more 100% Crabbet breedings going, when they heard that 53 Crabbet foals had been born in the time it took for 200 Crabbet adults to die. She's the dam of Seren Hanag (resident 2-year-old colt) and Seren Hanos (yearling colt living in Idaho with the Yosts).


Silver Serendipity, 4, (by Winged Saint out of Silver Ingot), is 100% Crabbet. Silver Ingot was treated for colitis for several months - and her gut problem turned out to be Silver Serendipity! (The mare's pregnancy had been mis-diagnosed.) Seren Arabians bought both the mare and foal when Serendipity was two. She's four now, and Silver Ingot is 27. Silver Ingot is a near perfect Crabbet horse, in Jan and Dom's eyes, and they have her down south at a facility where they would love to get an embryo transplant with her...


Seren Capella, 10, (by Hanson out of Seren Sirius Blue Lightning - who's out of the Seren foundation broodmare Blue Bandaila) is a high percent crabbet mare. Jan and Dom bred her, though she is now owned by Rebecca Kinnarney. She won the 2-day Exmoor Experience last year, completely barefoot, and she now has a filly foal by Winged Saint by her side.

The girls are a feast for the eyes, too. Who would you choose, if you could ever convince Dom and Jan to sell you a horse?