History

SAUMUR, THE CAPITAL OF RIDING

When at the end of the sixteenth century, King Henry IV allowed his friend Duplessis-Mornay to found a Protestant university and riding academy in Saumur, little did he suspect he would link our city to the horse for now over 400 years?

With the installation of the King’s Rifles in the eighteenth century, and the arrival of the Cavalry School in the nineteenth, a school that would later form the Cadre Noir, and after the creation in 1972 of the Ecole Nationale d’Equitation (ENE), Saumur is now more than ever linked to man’s greatest conquest.

This is a passion that is also found everywhere in the local economy, as the horse is present in many sectors such as tourism, trade and crafts. This passion adds greatly to the richness of our region.
Inevitably, the equestrian tradition of Saumur will continue to flourish in the future with the transfer to our city of several institutions of higher education together with their students.

Thus, Saumur will long remain true to the motto of a famous Cadre Noir Commanding Officer, Colonel Danloux: “The cult of tradition does not exclude the love of progress.”

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE COMITE EQUESTRE

Promoting equestrian sport, cultural activities and economic developments relating to horses at Saumur, the capital of Riding.

Establish a communication policy both within the city and also externally.

Organize competitions and equestrian events:
– International Official Vaulting Event
– International 3 Day Event
– Ar(t)cheval, international exhibition of Saumur

Providing logistical support to groups organizing equestrian events

Ensure efficient management of available sites

Gather the necessary means to achieve the above goals

Develop actions that integrate equestrian disciplines in the International Tourist Plan (PTI)

Be the interlocutor of:
– the Fédération Equestre Internationale (International Equestrian Federation)
– the Fédération Française d’Equitation (French Equestrian Federation)
– the Ecoles Militaires de Saumur (Military Schools of Saumur)
– the Institut Français du Cheval et de l’Equitation (French Institute of Riding)
– Groups, stables and riding clubs in and around Saumur