Part 2 of 3: Cheval-Plaisir, Normandy
After a fascinating, full day of riding, we returned with the two horses to the farm, while Catherine waited by the bay with Chloe for a second trip. As we approached the paddocks with the trailer, Jean-Pierre pulled over and asked us to help him turn the horses out into the fields.
After a long day’s work, the horses were surely in need of a good roll and some play time with their pasture-mates. As we removed the halters, Jean-Pierre invited us to step into the field, assuring us the horses were friendly and it was safe to do so. Jean-Pierre pointed out each horse by name, its age and breed.
Turning the horses out after a long day’s work.
Most had been born and raised right on the farm, but one in particular had come from Haras du Pin, the renowned Norman national stud about an hour from where we were staying — fondly nicknamed “Versailles for Horses.”
The herd at Cheval-Plaisir.
Some of the finest horses in France have come from Haras du Pin, and here we were with one of them nuzzling its nose against us. Our stay in Normandy was too short to visit the stud farm itself this time — that will have to wait for a return trip.
About Haras du Pin: Founded in 1665, Haras national du Pin is the oldest of France’s national studs, set on more than 1,100 hectares in the Orne department of Normandy. It hosts training in equine trades like saddlery and driving, along with more than 200 days of equestrian competition each year, and remains open to visitors year-round.
To find out more about visiting Haras du Pin, visit www.haras-national-du-pin.com.
Plan Your Visit
Where: Haras national du Pin, Le Pin-au-Haras, about an hour from Avranches — worth building into a longer Normandy trip if your schedule allows what ours didn’t.
Continue the story: Riding the Bay of Mont St. Michel: A Weekend at Cheval-Plaisir in Normandy and Mont St. Michel by Night: Visiting the Abbey and Giving the Mont Back to the Sea.