Considerations before moving horses to France
Surely keeping horses is easier in France?
Equestrian relocation is a very huge step. Ensure you do your homework thoroughly beforehand. There are many things that should be considered. Time spent in the planning and research days will pay dividends later. Do not rush in, plan ahead.
Location – Farrier – Flies & Ticks – Livery – Vets – Feed Suppliers etc
I think one of the biggest shocks for us when we moved to France, was the difficulties we encountered initially in looking after our horses. Although we thought we had ‘done our homework’ before we came, it was still far harder than we had anticipated. Leaving behind the friends, the local feed merchant, the competition venues, in fact all we had known and come to take for granted, made us feel very vulnerable and extremely ignorant.
By choice, we had put ourselves in a situation whereby, not only did we have to build new relationships with our vet, farrier and trainers, but we had to actually find one! Not a case of picking up the ‘yellow pages’ and dialing around, because at that point we did not even know that ‘Page Jaune’ was the same. If we had known about the Page Jaune or how to even get connected to the phone people- whoever they were- we would not have been able to navigate our way around the complexities of the PJ. It is listed by villages and we had only just learnt how to spell our new house name. As for knowing that a ‘Marechal Ferrant’ was a farrier, well we would have thought it was a brand of chocolate confectionery.
The Marechal Ferrant, is not a French Brand of chocolate.
We were quite literally ‘taken for a ride’ at first, and there is many a Frenchman out there, happily rubbing their hands together at the stupidity of the new English. Not for one moment are we suggesting that on every street corner the French are awaiting their next fool to pass by. In fact, we have been helped tremendously by many of our neighbours, we would be wrong though to pretend that we were not taken advantage of when first settling in France.
To try to help others a little, if only to make people think twice and cover all aspects of moving to France with your beloved equines, we have put together some things to consider and some useful pointers for when the wheels of the horsebox drive off the ramp of the boat. There seems little point in creating a very rosy and yet unreal scenario. Most of the subjects will be covered in far more detail in the future but for starters, we shall commence.
The differences are initially unexpected and you have to arrive with an open mind and not expect to carry on where you left off. If you can do this and you are willing to adapt and embrace the changes then your new life in France will be so much smoother and the benefits enormous.
So, you have decided to move to France and along with every other equestrian person that has ever made that decision, you dream of your horses happily grazing all year round in the acres and acres of ground that you have just agreed to buy. At this point, it is important to take off the rose coloured spectacles and really start to deal with reality. It may seem rather cruel to shatter the dream but as we have said elsewhere, the dream can become a nightmare if you continue to fool yourself. The one to suffer could well be your horse.
Location, location, location.
A huge subject and possibly one of the most important initially. Pages in this magazine will be given over to it in detail. At this point it just needs to be pointed out that if you are coming to France with your horse, please do not buy the first property that you see and fall in love with. Think seriously, about how you wish to spend your life in France and consider the location of the property and all it has to offer you. Make a very detailed list of all the things that you will definitely need and a secondary list of all the possible compromises. If you cannot tick the boxes on your first list, you had better look elsewhere. The obvious things, which will affect your family life, are a priority, schools, shops, ADSL (internet), road networks, etc.
Along with this, you should also consider your horse requirements. Why be a complete devotee to Dressage and wish to compete and then buy property hours from any facilities? As a very and we mean very rough guide, northern France has studs (haras), elevages (breeding) -in the UK we say Studs to cover stallions and broodmares, foaling. In France, the two things are very much separate criteria. Show jumping, Racing, especially the lovely Deauville area, and many private, professional and leisure yards.
Mid France has many racing and training yards, especially around the Durtal, La Fleche area and then further south and known as the heart of equestrianism in France is the Pays de la Loire, supporting Saumur, Lion d’Angers and the famous Cadre Noir and the ENE (Ecole Nationaux d’Equitation) Here most of the professionals congregate with facilities and competition venues for Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Show Jumping and Endurance. Even less well publicised horse sports such as vaulting and horse ball have excellent facilities. In fact whatever your discipline, trainers and facilities can be found here. There are also many club level facilities too; the worlds of amateur and professional combine well.
South of the Loire, there are clubs and centre equestres and scattered venues although you will have to travel more depending on where you choose to live. Around the Dordogne and Limousin area, many English-speaking families have moved and riding is well supported. You will possibly not find though as many professional competition bases here. Endurance is very well respected and attended throughout France with many events in the west and southeast.
Remember that in France you have to obtain a license to compete. You will be classed as an amateur unless you earn a living from horses, you will then be classed as a professional. The two words are associated with your job of work not your standard of riding.
So in a nutshell, if you want Studs, consider the north, if you want eventing, dressage and perhaps more serious competitive riding its mid west and some of further south. The whole of France offers ‘Centre Equestres’ and ‘Poney Clubs’ even in the more non-horse regions. Do not expect these though to be the same as your local livery yard and riding school up the road. They have strict guidance regulations and often a different approach to stable management to perhaps the British Horse Society Manual of Horsemanship. This does very much depend on the individual centre though.
Plan and do not rush into anything without feeling fairly assured that you will actually be able to live there and build a new life.
Land and Grazing
Firstly, try to think in hectares instead of acres from now on. No one will know what you are talking about if you talk acres. One hectare is 10,000 square meters, which is equivalent to 2.471 acres. So roughly two and a half acres to a hectare. Land is becoming increasingly difficult to source with a good property suitable for equestrian use.
Hectares to Acres conversion
Enter Hectares
Value in Acres
provided by metric conversions
Having your own land and stables is wonderful and something that many of us could not afford in our homelands. However, France is a very large country with huge extremes between regions. Land quality and weather conditions can vary greatly. The north of France will have a climate very similar to southern England and so comparisons can be made. Grazing conditions will be relative here, hence the reason that most of the Studs (Haras) have developed in these northern regions. However the further south you settle in search of heat and sunshine, then the more land per horse you are going to need.
The warmer the climate the poorer the grass quality. Around the world at the moment, we are experiencing what the professionals refer to as ‘unseasonal weather’. This too is occurring in France, so we can only be general in our comments and a lot of common sense has to be used. Hotter climates can provide parched, dry, rock hard mud and no grass in summer to wet muddy and no grass fields in winter. You will need to feed hay throughout the summer and maybe not so much through autumn, although often all year round is reality.
Most older properties have outbuildings to convert and you have to make the best of what you have available. It would be rare to find a purpose built stable block in the form you are used to. They do exist and if you have the budget then wonderful. These usually have been trading as commercial premises or professional yards and will not be in the same price bracket as an old farm outbuildings, suitable for renovation. You should be very honest with yourself about what you want to buy and what you can realistically afford to buy.
The estate agents thoughts on ‘suitable’ may well be different to yours though. We shall cover the ‘immobilier’ (estate agent) in a separate topic, (It’s a very big topic!) but make sure you are very definite when you explain your requirements to an agent before viewing. If we had a penny for every wasted trip we were taken on, we would not be affected by the credit crunch today!
Renovation and making good, we will also discuss later but one of the main things to consider in all stable and field shelter construction is the need to provide maximum shade and shelter from the sun and the present, persistent flies. In comparison to the hotter, longer summers you can find that the winters are very much colder and sharper although often do not last as long. This last winter we experienced temperatures of minus 15 degrees and terrible storms, so it is not all sun and wine.
Flies and Ticks.
Flies can be quite troublesome for your horses in France, which is an unfortunate trade off for the warmer weather. Many French horses seem to cope better than those newly arriving to the land. Ticks are a problem as they carry the sometimes fatal disease of piroplasmosis. (see the article on this later)It is necessary to protect your horses against these by regular use of a products such as Butox and Versatrine and various other anti tick makes. Your local vets or pharmacy will sell them and many of the equipment stores. You will need to check your horse daily for these, especially when being put onto pastures with long grass or riding out through undergrowth. It seems amazing that these little creatures can just sit and wait for an animal that may just happen to pass by. They can be fatal though so keen observation is essential. It is a traumatic experience for horses and owners, so early treatment is essential to aid recovery. Another horrible fly is the flat flies or “mouche plat” which is common in most parts of France. These crawl around under a horse’s tail and in skin crevices and the underneath of the horse and sit and feed on the blood in large groups. They are almost impossible for the horse to rid himself of; they are also very difficult to kill. Being crab like they fly and crawl, which can make sensitive horses very unhappy and often dangerous due to handle if sensitive to them.
However you can rid your horse of them do. The vets will advise on good repellents, one of them being the very smelly but effective Emouchine (the strong brown oily one works best but is messy) but to be honest we have found a mixture of Vaseline/baby or vegetable oil and vinegar all help when applied around the horses soft skin areas. (Be careful the horse is not sensitive to the viegar and do not apply oil to pink skin in hot weather!)The oil stops the flies landing and getting a hold. Also feeding garlic and apple cider vinegar. (Its very cheap in the supermarkets) It will sound horrible and we could not imagine doing it before we lived here but if you can apply oil to them if they are in situ, or a repellant to daze the mouch plat, kill them yourself. This involves literally cutting them into bits in your fingernails. Not for the faint hearted but they are so resilient, they just do not die! Even when in many bits they still keep going! Often keeping horses in during the day in the cool is a helpful solution. Once again, ensure your stables are shady and well ventilated. The last thing you should have is a hot house for your horse. Consider this when erecting field shelters.
The bot fly also can cause problems. Often found in the UK, but for some reason many horses we know react badly here than they did back in England. Maybe they sting more. They appear for a couple of hours a day in August and September, so bring horses in at that time of day if possible.
Emouchune Fly repellent These Tic removers are invaluable, buy them at your Pharmacy
Livery and Pension
As we said above there seems to be places for Livery in most parts of France. Centre Equestres, Poney Club, Pension, all names to look for in the Pages Jaune. They will be listed in sections by location so you will need to look up all the names of villages around where you want to buy. The yellow pages and L’Annuaire (phone book) are all listed for each department and you will receive one for your postal address if you are on the phone with France Telecom. That’s great, but if you are right on the border of another department then you will have to befriend a neighbour in that department and ask to borrow their phone book! Many centres are well signposted though and often a drive through villages will take you in the direction of the local ‘centre equestre’.
There are some differences between livery practices in France and in England as there are between yards within the UK. The pension or livery follows the same general practice, although you will often find it very much cheaper. Not many offer the DIY service. It is usually Full or Full Schooling or Part. Many that combine Poney Club also can offer a service whereby they use your pony in return for little or no payment from you. Livery stables in France tend to keep horses separated in individual and often quite small paddocks, separated by electric tape fencing. The loose boxes are also often smaller than English ones and do not be surprised to find your horse is not mucked out daily but clean straw added and a whole clear out once a week. Many seem to have automatic water bowls as the ‘Eau de Ville’ water is expensive and wastage is not something encouraged in France. Ensure your horse knows how to use them. Do not take it for granted that he is drinking. View as many as you can and get to speak to the owners and other people. Even if you keep your horse at home, you will have to get to know your local centre in order to obtain your competition license.
Suppliers, Equipment and Feeding
This will again depend on where you settle. The closer to England the more likely that you will be able to source products that you have been used to from there. It is almost like learning the subject of feeding over again when you first arrive.
We would suggest bringing as much feedstuff that your horse is used to, with you at first. Then any changes – and there will be unless you go back and forth all the time – can be introduced gradually. Once you get to know your way around then it is not so different. Area definitely will affect your choices here. As time passes then the feeding options does seem to be growing. In some places do not be surprised to find French that feed concentrates and very little hay and fibre. There are as many different approaches to feeding as there are in the UK. Most agricultural shops – normally found on the industrial estates (Z.I.) bordering the towns – sell types of horse feed. The most common place for buying feed being general gardening and agricultural stores such as “Point Vert”, “Gamme Vert.” Even some of the larger supermarkets do. Generally, you will not find tack shops also selling feed. Such places are for tack and other products such as fly sprays, supplements, and items of tack and so on. These can also be sourced at very good prices, from large sports shop such as “Decathlon.” The tack will not be top quality but for bits and bobs and very cheap accessories, they are sufficient.
Once organised many people find themselves ordering specific items and products via the Internet.
It is very easy to get ‘pellets’ or ‘nuts’, which are often in club (general) or competition or breeding form. Sometimes they can also be found in ‘mix’ form; A few ‘known’ brands are obtainable and becoming more so lately. Agricultural grain merchants also sell feed and Alpha and sugar beet. We shall be looking more in depth in this later. One thing that we used to find amazing was the bags of nuts for all. Chickens, goats, turkeys and the horses. All for one and one for all!
Sizes and measurements
Measurements are also different. Instead of hands and inches, the French use metres and centimetres. To get an accurate measurement you will need to use a tape or rule, but as a rough guide a 15.2hh horse equates to 155 cm, and a 16.2 to 165cm. Rugs are also in cm’s.
Professional services
A good tip here for arranging the first visit, which, unless you have very good French, will be almost a comedy sketch if on the phone, is to give the village name you live in and your telephone number. Agree a time for them to arrive at the ‘Place de l’Eglise’ – every village has one, its the village square or the car park at the front of the church.- Be there at the appointed time to meet them and they can follow you from there. We have lost count of the amount of people we have met ‘at the place of the church.’ They will in future know where you live. Do make sure you know where you live though!
Vets. Vets in France are as highly qualified and every bit as professional and caring as they are in other nations. This does depend again on the individual practice. Personal recommendation is usually the best way to find the vet, they can be found in the Page Jaune also under ‘Veterinaries’. Find one that does treat horses. They have 24 hr call out the same. Find out their number in advance and write it down by your phone. Also the emergency number too. It will be very frustrating and time wasting to do it when it is a real emergency. A foreign-recorded answer phone message is not easy to understand. French phone numbers are even more complex when you are anxious and in a hurry.
It seems that rules are often quite different and you can purchase most products for your horses’ healthcare at the surgery counter or in any local pharmacy. We have even injected ours for Flu and Tetanus and antibiotics. It is common procedure to give the client the medicines to administer to their own horse after the initial visit. Including the odd intravenous drip if needed. The larger cities have specialist veterinary hospitals where serious cases and referrals can be treated.
Dentists and back specialists. Equine dentists and back specialists are not often your vet but a specialist. Overall, there is less likelihood of unnecessary treatments being administered. Horse dentists are available and can usually be sourced through recommendation. The easiest thing to do is get your horses up and together before you travel and then baring accident and injury, you will have some time to source such services.
Farriers, Marechal Ferrant. It is not too difficult to find farriers although getting a good one is important. Ask at your vets to recommend one and book up well in advance. Rules are far more relaxed here. In the UK, it is a punishable offense to trim your own horse. Here it seems actively practiced. However, huge amounts of French horses are not shod. They are trimmed and rasped, often by their owners. Maybe it is the amount of tracks and land to ride on, as there is often hardly any need for roadwork. For whatever reason it is usual to see barefoot horses, even in competitions. There are specialist barefoot trimmers to be had and we will be covering this in an article. Farriers are happy to do hot and cold shoeing and although they tend to cut the foot away rather than trim, they at the end of the day still know their trade.
Horse Disposal
Not a good subject to discuss but one still that needs to be prepared for. The procedure in France is different and at a delicate time, it is better to know what to expect than for it to be a shock and cause distress. In France, euthanasia is usually done by lethal injection, often with two injections administered. The first will sedate and knock the horse down then the vet will stop the heart. It is always deeply distressing for the owners, but we have had cause to have this done and must say it is fast and humane for the horse.
It is illegal to bury a horse, even on your own land, and the accepted procedure after death is to have the body taken away for cremation/incineration by a recognised organisation (your vet will advise a contact number for this). It will not be a specialist animal cremation commercial company, it will be the ‘most local’ farm animal incinerator. Please be aware that this collection is not always straightforward. If you believe, it will distress you then please organise for someone to deal with this part for you. It has to be said that there can be a delay between the actual putting to sleep and the collection. Sometimes for a few days.
We were appalled that we were told to leave our horse by the roadside, as the lorry would not collect from the stables. This may not happen in all cases but it does often happen and you need to make provision for this. Animals are taken away for incineration and you pay a fee. It was about 90€ for a pony but this may vary. However, you will have to wait until the company can collect. Therefore, if you have advance warning it is better for all concerned to try to arrange the two for the same day. Please be prepared for a few days waiting otherwise. The problem is compounded due to the emotional element for the owner and the loss of dignity and all that goes with it for the beloved horse. On the practical side is the effect on the horse due to the weather. – Heat and the flies, or rain and the results of this. Also the risk of passing wild animals or dogs. We used very strong tarpaulin to securely wrap. It must be said it was not easy, pleasant or a memory we wish to hold.
The actual collection itself is also something left well to the hardened. While we are sure the lorry drivers are very respectful, to many the horse is a farm animal and the sentiments attached are the same as that of a dead sheep. A lorry with a grab claw will arrive. This is not a pleasant thing to deal with and you are well advised to delegate and go to a different place for a while.
Riding and Hacking
Riding off road in much of France is wonderful. In most places, there is absolutely no need to ride on busy or dangerous roads, you can find access to endless well-maintained trails, forests and open fields where you have the right to roam as long as you do not do any damage and remain respectful. There may be signs ‘Reserve pour Chasse’ which is restricted but to be honest there is so much riding land that you very rarely have to use the same routes. To actually come across another person when you are riding would seem an unusual experience, so vast is the terrain. You will need to take care during the hunting season, usually November to end of February/March, for obvious reasons. The French are very keen amateur hunters. “Les Chasseures” will not particularly be aware of you when they are chasing a wild boar with shot guns. We have heard people comment that they never see French people riding. It does seem strange but it is either that, as in our case, no one ever sees us and yet we are always out getting the horses fit. Or the fact that actually French riders genuinely do not seem to hack out very much and belong to ‘clubs’ and ride at the centre equestres. French villages are not dotted with equestrian family homes. Riders have professional yards
Riding schools, Centre Equestres, Poney Clubs.
Many French riders are very keen to ride at their club and often arrive to school or jump. From an early age, children who ride have to join a poney club and take ‘Galops’ exams in order to compete. To achieve this they do poney club on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. Having no school at these times, the schedule is quite rigid. Most children who follow any activity almost follow a curriculum by taking their discipline seriously on these afternoons. They have to pass practical tests and ridden tests and so become accustomed to the routine of riding in the carriere (outdoor arena) They can only compete in Dressage exams once they are Galop 2, Show jumping is above Galop 3 and Cross Country is above Galop 5. It does ensure a thorough education and commitment and acertain standard of riding.
Adults even if they have their own land, tend to keep their horse on livery at a club. It seems professionals have their own yards and training facilities but otherwise you do not find private owners keeping the odd horse or two at home and riding and competing with it. Maybe this is why the English find it lonely and difficult to find people to ride out with. It is not in the nature to have a country rural village with a balance of French horse owning individuals. If they compete they are either professional or they do so from a club. It seems most French riders would think it a little strange to look after a horse at home and just hack around the tracks. Pour-quoi? Adults have to have a license to compete and this is at different levels of ability. Your club will apply for this for you. It also includes riding insurance and third party liability. There are different trains of thought on this and you are supposed to be examined and do a written exam in French. However, we have come across many occasions, where once the yard owner knows you and your ability, then they can apply for your license. You also have to have a medical certificate from your doctor. Do not worry about running up and down steps for this. As long as you are fit generally for your discipline then it will be given. Our Doctor just said D’accord, c’est bien’ smiled, laughed and asked for 22€ as he wrote the certificate. We could have been flying to the moon for all he cared!
Insurance for your horses.
This can be done for third party, in the case of damage from your horse, through your household insurance policy. Check with the insurers to make sure that this is the case, and be very clear on what exactly is covered, as this can be a notoriously grey area. There are also many Insurance companies specialising in horse insurance, which can be found in horse magazines and horse vets. If you take a license then you will also have insurance on this.
Insurance for theft will need to be taken out on a separate policy. Again, check the cover content very carefully. Get it translated to make sure you are covered properly. If you are offered insurance from your new French bank, then please read the small print! Some bank insurance does not cover properties and horses especially if you have over 5 ha of land. They will not volunteer this information to you until it is too late. It is often the French way to not state what to them is obvious but to you is not understood.
Living in France with horses
Generally this is wonderful and it soon becomes very easy to forget how restricted we were back in the UK. It is not always easy here and hopefully some of the above points will provide some insight into what to really expect. French people do love their horses and often have been brought up with a different way of doing things. However it is not for us to judge and up to us to look after our own horses as well as we can with what resources we can attain. Integration, learning and sharing along with tolerance is very important and vital in a foreign land.
Horsemeat is still for sale here and widely bought and eaten. Although not so much as inthe past we read.
Parts of France use horses for the land to farm with still and would find it quite mysterious to have new English neighbours with a ‘team’ of competition horses. A very rural old Frenchman once stopped us and asked why did we have horses? He literally could not understand that if we did not hitch them to a plough or breed them for meat, what was their point. The cost alone of their keep would have probably made him faint. It was impossible for him to understand the pleasure we received from them.
Having said all this it remains to say that there will always be more to learn and discover and there will always be god times and not so good, but then that is horses wherever you live. It just helps a lot if you are more prepared.
But then that is why French Horse & Country exists…
