Land of Stud-farms - Haras du Pin

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The horse – emblem of Orne

Normandy is well-known for the quality of its grassland which was responsible for its fortune in the past when it was one of the richest provinces in France. It has long been a land of animal breeding including horses of all types : work horses like the Percheron, war horses, later horses for leisure activities and racehorses, divided into gallopers and trotters.

Orne is the leading département in France for trotting horse breeding. Most of the well-known harness racing stables in France have a stud farm or shares in a stallion here. Orne is in the first three départements for racehorse breeding. Horses from Orne are regularly in the news for their racing achievements or reaching a record price during the yearling sales at Deauville.

Horses in meadows near stables have shaped the landscape of Orne

Orne has even chosen the horse as its emblem. It is a land of horses, but also of horse breeding which can be seen by observing the countryside : paddocks with high wooden rails, neatly trimmed hedges separating fields and paddocks, rows of loose boxes, oval-shaped, sandy training grounds and stud farms grouped around fine country houses.

Horses can be seen in the fields throughout the year, sometimes alone (particularly stallions), sometimes in small groups. Their colours vary from chestnut, brown, bay, dark bay, black and grey. In spring it is a joy to see the mares followed by their graceful colts or fillies.

The region has developed a complete economy around horses. Farriers travel from stable to stable. Some stables have a large number of horses, whereas others have only one or two brood mares. In villages, skilled saddlers repair and maintain leather tack items. In the old days, Norman farmers were said to keep one mare for every 16 cows as, in fact, cattle and horses don’t eat the same types of grass. Even today, the big stud farms raise beef cattle in addition to horses.

Stud-farms – a living heritage

Vacances aux haras Percherons photo Publicam Productions — So where are the stud farms ? A typical Norman reply would be ‘here and there’! In fact most of them are around Argentan and in the sectors of Ecouché, Mortrée, Gacé, Merlerault and Vimoutiers.

It is easy to admire the countryside around the stud farms while walking, cycling or driving around, but visiting one is another story. They are not tourist attractions and like to remain discreet. However there is one which is open to the public which is also a chapter in the history of France : the mythical Haras National du Pin near Argentan in the centre of the département.

Founded by Colbert, it is nicknamed the « Versailles of the Horse ». It consists of a château and vast courtyards bordered by stables, manèges and facilities including the famous saddlery. The outbuildings contain many fine horse-drawn vehicles. The Haras National du Pin is also a museum and a venue for equestrian shows.

Just down from the château is the Parc du Haut Bois, where the international competition known as « Le Grand Complet » is held every year. The Haras is the venue for numerous competitions and qualifying trials for horses used in dressage, show-jumping and cross-country events. The 1,000 hectare estate also has a centre for brood mares run by INRA, a race course and 400 hectares of forest.

There are plenty of gites and B&Bs near stud farms. Les Haras de Fontaine, a stud farm which breeds thoroughbreds on the outskirts of Argentan, has 2 gites.

Edith and Jean-François Andouart have horses of their own and livery stables at Le Relais de Cisai near Gacé. Finally, a stud farm which breeds jet black Friesian horses has a gite and B&B accommodation at La Barbinière - Les Ferrettes.

Explore Orne in Normandy with Gites de France Orne : Pays d'Ouche, Suisse Normande, Pays d'Auge, Alençon, Perche"