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LES ECURIES
Based between Namur and Gembloux, the "Ecuries du Grand Royal" is more than just a basic riding school. Dressage School, Yoseikan Bajustsu School (!), horse vaulting School (classical and cosaque), Training school for mounted police, the Grand Royal is a bit of all that. But what is hiding behind that name? Two figures already well known by some, Valérie HINCOURT and Stany LEDIEU.
A
rider since the age of 6, Valérie spent her life on a horse. At 25, she is helped
by a solid experience. She was partly trained in Portugal, at the Haras National;
and at the Casa Cadaval where she learns to break young horses, (which explains
the specialisation of breaking young horses at the Ecuries), but she was also
very careful in choosing her masters such as Alain GODEAU, Tijn BARDIJN, Peter
PIETERS, All of them accomplished horsemen. At 20 she was running her first
stables and today it is from Patrick LE ROLAND, one of the greatest dressage
riders, that Valerie is taking advice.
Put on a horse at the age of 7 by the GOFFIN brothers, Stany’s path was no less interesting. Passionate about martial arts, practising different disciplines since the age of 12, Stany met Hiroo MOCHIZUKI 10 years ago, and it is the start of the great story of YOSEIKAN BAJUTSU. To perfect his knowledge and at the same time improve the martial arts on a horse, Stany will, for many years, follow Jean-Charles ANDRIEUX (founder of the Cavaliers Voltigeurs de France, stunt man, and many times French champion of horse vaulting in line). Horse vaulting, Chivalry, poste hongroise, chariots races and many others will give him the necessary experience to produce in Belgium a show team carefully chosen amongst his best pupils in Bajutsu. Previously responsible for the horse vaulting commission of the FECFB, he used to work with Jean-Michel POISSON (responsible for the vaulting ENE-Saumur).
Horse
vaulting, chivalry, Yoseikan
Bajutsu (traditional martial arts on a horse), special bajutsu for the
police, will be the subject of articles soon to be published in forthcoming
revues of "Cheval Evasion".
It wouldn’t make sense to present and explain all these disciplines without introducing to you the Ecuries and the way they function.
Disposing of 40 boxes and quality installations (indoor school of 45x20- outside ring 85x45 - lunging ring - 4ha of meadows - club house, etc.-) it is much more than just -a riding school-.
The horses are all well schooled and have kept their natural enthusiasm. The purchase of a horse for the school is every time a challenge. Indeed as soon as it is part of the stables it will remain there until a well deserved retirement. Our oldest -teacher- is 20 years old, an anglo-arabe from the Pompadour stud, he wouldn’t change place for anything in the world. Fed three times a day on special diets adapted by specialists, taken out every day in fields or inside riding school (or lunged) they all get special care and attention. The school horses will only work an hour to an hour and a half a day. After work their legs and tendons will be well looked after with either mudpack or bandages, each horse is pampered. The result is that each of them keeps a strong personality, is a professor (he will piaff if the request is correctly communicated) you only have to observe them to see how good they feel.
The lessons - each day of the week collective and private lessons follow each
other. To maintain a good quality in the lessons, the collective lessons are
limited to 4 or 5 people (apart from the Dressage quadrille or the Bajutsu lessons).
But the vast majority of them are private lessons and very often the rider is
under the supervision of Valérie and Stany at the same time. The world upside
down! Only 1 pupil for 2 instructors and not 1 
instructor for 15 pupils! If Valérie gives a lesson Stany will be observing.
Sometimes for quite a while he will focus on the rider’s shoulder, or the horse’s.
In that way can emerge the source of an eventual problem, and together with
Valérie, they bring directly useful advice. This method of teaching they apply
as soon as their activity allows it. Nothing to do with -industrial- riding
school or the local pony club. Well aware of the fact that riding can be dangerous
for the horse as well as for the rider, the more so if this one is a child,
Valérie and Stany have chosen to pass on a passion, and for that you need knowledge
in anatomy, hypology , stretching techniques, relaxation methods, first aid
knowledge, veterinary, pedagogy, equestrian science. And they manage all that,
the result is shown in dressage and jumping competitions and as well in riding
diplomas being taken (19 candidates in may, 19 successes) also by the acknowledgement
of quality by official organisms such as the Mons police or the equestrian Federations
and by experienced customers.
Copyright - Les
écuries du Grand Royal - Tous droits réservés-2000/2003
LES ECURIES DU GRAND
ROYAL
