From October 27 to 31, the top horse riding will be present in Pau for the five-star eventing event. There are only seven stages in the world, and only one in France. Florian Ganneval, 36, will participate for the first time. The events will be linked from Thursday to Sunday.
A farrier who competes
Living in Revel, in the south-east for twenty years, Florian Ganneval fell in love with horses when he was a child: “During a Sunday ride, I really liked the horses. I was very small. It made me want to go and register in an equestrian center right away. It was born like that.”
The rider’s course is atypical since it combines his job as a farrier and competition while most of them live in competitions. He also taught horse riding but the schedule was getting too busy. “We are not very many in this case, I am even the only one of the French delegation. I am not at all in the promotion of horses in competition. My job is really the farrier. Often the course, c “is to enter competition stables. Little by little, to evolve towards the top level. Except that it is hard to set up on your own. I made the choice to be able to work for me from the start. It took longer to reach this level of ordeal, but it really was a choice. ”
– Florian Ganneval
“I approach this with enthusiasm”
With Blue Bird, his 10-year-old horse, Florian Ganneval will rub shoulders with the best in the discipline. “It’s a horse that I bought when he was four years old. It was still being broken in. It means that he was just accepting the rider with three gaits. Little by little we progressed together. We’ve been training for six years now, preparing to climb the ladder. Today, I feel he’s ready to reach that level. In the career of an eventing rider, everyone tries one day to be able to access a five-star. You can rub shoulders with the best at the highest level of the discipline. I’m discovering, this is my first five-star. I’m approaching it with enthusiasm. The goal is already to do the best and gain experience. “
The reception of the horses in Pau will be on Wednesday. The first event will take place on Thursday morning and around fifty riders will take part in this Pau event. Among them, the world number one: the Briton Oliver Townend.