The Haras du Manoir joins the inDeauville network
Marie and Samuel Catel arrived in Saint-Pierre-Azif in 2016. In love with Deauville and its countryside, they left their previous equestrian center located in Haute-Normandie and set out to revitalize this structure. By acquiring the Haras du Manoir, they found an ideal setting for the development of their family and the possibility to live their passion.
Marie and Samuel are members of inDeauville and have joined the working group that has been set up to strengthen and further develop the horse industry, one of the levers of attractiveness of the territory.
Marie has been riding since she was three years old and Samuel is one of the European champions in para-dressage. Like her, he discovered riding at a very young age and was heading towards dressage when a serious accident deprived him of his right leg. A high-level athlete for ten years, he was a member of the French para-dressage team before returning to his favorite discipline: show jumping. Trained as a farm manager, riding instructor and instructor trainer, he likes to share and federate competition enthusiasts.
Marie works at the Centre International de Deauville and supports Samuel on a daily basis in the development of the stud farm.
When they arrived, Samuel and Marie enlarged the arena, redid the floor of the riding school, and reorganized the activity around three axes: learning and practicing riding, coaching riders and breeding. The team is composed of five people including one or two instructors depending on the period.
Passing on the passion
The center includes two careers, a solarium, 35 boxes divided into two stables, and a cavalry of shetlands, ponies and horses. Lessons are given from gallop 1 to gallop 7 and with multiple formulas: initiations, discoveries, improvements, baptisms, private lessons, or training courses... From 3 years old, everything is possible. The courses are organized every weekend of the year and also every day during the school vacations. For learners who live nearby, the Haras also operates on an annual cycle from September to June.
For those who love horseback riding, there are many different routes starting from the stud farm located in the middle of nature, a few hundred meters from the small village of Saint-Pierre-Azif. In the spring, many like to ride through the Auvergne countryside, while others prefer a ride in the forest of Saint-Pierre-Azif. To gallop near the sea, Samuel and Marie join the beach of Blonville-sur-Mer for a very personalized course with a maximum of four riders of gallop 3 minimum.
Accompanying towards the high level
The Haras du Manoir is certified by the French Equestrian Federation. This label values the clubs which propose to pony or horse, initiation, improvement or competition practice. It is the second activity of the stud farm.
Samuel and Marie take their students to competitions every Sunday in order to accumulate points throughout the year and to present a team in show jumping at the French Equestrian Club Championships which take place in Lamotte-Beuvron in July. This French Open is the very first level of competition for riders. With 3,000 entries and 120 riders per event, one out of three French clubs comes to the Loir-et-Cher. In 2018, one of the Haras' students won a French Champion title and in 2019, the Haras du Manoir won a third place in team and individual.
The Haras team also coaches 25 riders on an amateur circuit and three riders on the veteran circuit. These riders are all over 45 years old and hold a galop 7. They participate in about ten competitions during the season from March to October.
The last part of the activity, the breeding of horses and the pension of horses where multiple formulas are possible. From their large boxes, the horses have a view of the largest of the stud's quarries and seem happy to evolve in its meadows. The Haras du Manoir has been awarded the Equures label, the only quality approach in favor of the environment and animal welfare specifically developed for equine structures.
