The (, ''Cavalry School'') is a French military training establishment at

Saumur Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...

in Western France. Originally set up to train the cavalry of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

, it now trains the troops of France's ''Arme blindée et cavalerie'' ( Armoured Cavalry Arm) in reconnaissance and armoured warfare.

History

In 1763,

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

(via the Duc de Choiseul) reorganised the French cavalry. A new school for officers from all the cavalry regiments was set up at Saumur, managed and supervised by the "Corps Royal des

Carabinier A carabinier (also sometimes spelled carabineer or carbineer) is in principle a soldier armed with a carbine, musket, or rifle, which became commonplace by the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The word is derived from the identical F ...

s" - since its inception the school has been hosted in the carabinier regiment's quarter of the town, latterly in a magnificent 18th century building. This functioned until 1788. At the end of 1814, after the First Restoration,

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

set up the "École d'Instruction des Troupes à cheval" in Saumur. Its activities declined from 1822 onwards so it was regenerated by

Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...

under the name of the "École Royale de Cavalerie" (later renamed the École impériale de cavalerie de Saumur). Most of its building complex was taken up with a military riding area and a riding-academy training hall. From 1830, with the disappearance of the École de Versailles, Saumur became the capital and sole repository of the French equestrian tradition, and its knowledge (such as in the Cadre Noir and its training regime in

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

) is still recognised throughout the world. At the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the French mounted cavalry (reduced to several squadrons of North African spahis retained for patrol work and ceremonial duties by this date) and armoured troops merged to form the 'Arme blindée et cavalerie' (ABC), with the École de Saumur becoming the new branch's training centre. After a 1985 reorganisation, the 12th Light Armoured Division (12 DLB) was planned as a mobilisation division of the French Army, with its headquarters to be formed on the basis of the staff of the ''École d'application de l'Arme blindée et de la cavalerie'' (EAABC) at Saumur. The division comprised the 507 RCC at Saumur (AMX-30s), the 3 RCh(T), also at Saumur and also attached to the EAABC, the Legion's 4th Foreign Regiment at Castelnaudary, and the 33rd Regiment of Artillery (RA), at St Maixent, attached to an NCO school.Isby and Kamps, ARmies of NATO's Central Front, Jane's, 1985, 127.

* '' Extrait de l’Ordonnance de Cavalerie pour sous-officiers et brigadiers ... par un Capitaine Instructeur de l’École de Cavalerie de Saumur'', Paris, 1860 * Victor Raoult Deslongchamps, ''Considérations sur la fièvre intermittente à l’École de Cavalerie de Saumur'', École de Médecine, Paris, Collection des thèses, tome 10, 1839 * Maurice Durosoy, ''Saumur. Historique de l’École d’application de l’arme blindée et de la cavalerie'', Paris, 1964, 150 p. (rééditions ultérieures) * Pierre Garrigou Grandchamp (ed.), ''Saumur, l'école de cavalerie : histoire architecturale d'une cité du cheval militaire'', Monum, Éditions du patrimoine, Paris, 2005, 325 p. * Robert Milliat, ''Le dernier carrousel. Défense de Saumur 1940'' (illustrations d’un E.A.R. de l’École de cavalerie, ancien combattant de Saumur), B. Arthaud, Grenoble, Paris, 1945 (4th edition), 192 p. * J. L. Tarneau, « Leçons élémentaires d'hygiène militaire, faites à l'école de cavalerie de Saumur, 1873 », ''Journal des Sciences militaires'', 1874 * Charles-Maurice de Vaux, ''Les Écoles de cavalerie, Versailles, l'École militaire, l'École de Saint-Germain, Saint-Cyr, Saumur. Étude des méthodes d'équitation des grands maîtres'', J. Rothschild, 1896

References

External links

Site of the EAABC
{{Equestrian institutions of France 1763 establishments in France Educational institutions established in 1763 Training establishments of the French Army Armoured warfare Equestrian educational establishments Louis XV Charles X of France Louis XVIII

History

See also

Related articles

Bibliography

References

External links