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July 14: the Cadre Noir, an elite corps of riders on parade for the first time
On Sunday, July 14, the traditional parade will take place on Avenue Foch in Paris and not on the Champs-Elysées, because of the Olympic Games. Alongside the Republican Guard, the Cadre Noir, a corps of elite French horsemen, will make its entrance this year.
(France 2)
On Sunday, July 14, the traditional parade will take place on Avenue Foch in Paris and not on the Champs-Élysées, because of the Olympic Games. Alongside the Republican Guard, the Cadre Noir, an elite French cavalry corps, will make its entrance this year.
They embody French excellence in horse riding. Between bows, croupades and show jumping, these riders and their horses are a link between high-level sport and military tradition. In this Olympic year and for the first time in its history, the Cadre Noir of Saumur (Maine-et-Loir) will participate in the July 14 parade. The fruit of at least ten years of hard work with horses.
Colonel Thibault Vallette, chief equerry of the Cadre Noir, is training this Wednesday, July 10 at the Jordy stud farm in Marnes-la-Coquette (Hauts-de-Seine). “It’s very different from what we usually do. There’s little time, so we want to give the best of ourselves.”he confides. He will participate in the parade as a soldier, and will carry the Olympic flame in front of the presidential tribune. “It represents quite a few things, because I was lucky enough to take part in the Games in Rio (Brazil) and bring home a gold medal as part of the team. The desire to surpass oneself, a job well done, a taste for effort, these are values dear to the Army.”he explains. Everything is done to limit the stress of the Cadre Noir horses, who spend their entire lives in a hushed environment.
