The National Equestrian School (, ENE) is a public establishment created in 1972 around the Cadre Noir in

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 ...

, France, with the aim of training senior equestrian executives. In 2010, it merged with Haras Nationaux to form the .

History

The School was founded in 1972 by decree to replace the ''Institut National d'Equitation'', which was created in 1968. It continues the tradition of the Saumur Cavalry Officers' School. The school was created in

with the support of the town of Saumur and the General Council of

Maine-et-Loire Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indr ...

. In 2010, it was merged with the Haras Nationaux to form the .

Mission

The ENE, which is part of the Institut français du cheval et de l'équitation, under the supervision of the Ministries of Agriculture and Sport, was created with the following missions: * training and development of French riding professionals at the national level (instructors and teachers) * organization and preparation for national and international competitions (particularly Olympic disciplines), * participation in technical and pedagogical studies and research, and the creation of a documentation center in the field of equestrian teaching and practice * preservation and presentation of traditional French equitation. The school is the heir to the French equestrian tradition. It complements the Cadre Noir de

, which trains military personnel and equestrians. Professors at the National Equestrian School train and perfect senior equestrian executives. The school hosts training courses for French and foreign teachers and competitors, welcoming 1,500 trainees. Thanks to the establishment, horses and riders have access to competitions, some of which are organized on the Terrefort and Verrie grounds. Since 2003, the school has been one of four European schools in the Euroride network of equestrian training schools. In addition to ENE, the schools of

Warendorf Warendorf (, Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Warnduorp'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of Warendorf (district), Warendorf District. The town is best known today for its well-preserved medieval town centre, for eq ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, Deurne in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and Strömsholm in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

are also part of this network. Trainees spend 10 months at each of these schools.

Infrastructure and employees

The school is located on two sites: the 130-hectare Terrefort site, where the school's buildings and infrastructure are located, and the Verrie site, where the racecourse is used for international competitions, springs, and training courses. In 2008, the school owned 330 horses, with between 400 and 500 more in its stables. It has eighteen Olympic careers, 50 km of prepared tracks, several hundred obstacles, and seven Olympic riding arenas, including one of the largest in Europe. The school also boasts a veterinary clinic, a blacksmith's shop, an amphitheater, and a media library. In 2008, the school employed 200 people, most of them civil servants. They include 45 teachers, around 60 grooms, 5 farriers, two veterinarians, and two nurses. Other staff are delegated to technical maintenance and administrative functions.

Directors of the National Equestrian School

Famous students

* Constance Menard (1968-), professional dressage rider.

Horses

ENE horses are purchased from breeders all over France, at the age of three and generally at regional competitions, thanks to a subsidy. The vast majority are Selles Français, along with a few Anglo-Arabs. After being put out to pasture, the horses join the young mounts' stables, where their breaking-in is confirmed and their aptitudes tested. At the age of four, they are oriented towards a particular discipline, then promoted at competitions by riders specialized in events for young horses aged four to six. After six years, they are distributed among the ENE students, each of whom has four horses specialized respectively in dressage, jumping, eventing, and saddling. The rare high-potential horses continue their careers in competition, recognizable by the “ENE*HN” suffix following their names: Donatello du Riveau, Crocus Jacob, Athlète de la Cour, and Free-Style are among these renowned mounts.

Pegasus Award

At the initiative of and in partnership with the ''Académie Pégase'', the French National Equestrian School has been awarding the ''Prix Pégase'' (ENE) since 1989, in recognition of work on horses and riding that has contributed to the widespread dissemination of equestrian culture.

Notes

References

Sources

* *

External links

The Cadre noir of Saumur
{{Equestrian institutions of France Equestrian sports in France Equestrian educational establishments Agricultural organizations based in France