Who Are the Ecuyers of the Cadre noir ?

The principal purpose of the ecuyers of the Cadre noir, each one a real expert in his own discipline, is to pass on their technical and theoretical knowledge to their pupils who have come to the Saumur site of the French Horse and Riding Institute for a solid professional training. They actively support and influence French equitation by their public presentations in France and abroad. They are also entrusted with the preparation of the horses used in the training of their pupils, horses that they enter in National and International competition.

The Cadre noir of Saumur consists about 30 instructors: of which around 7 are military, including the Chief Ecuyer, put at the disposal of the French Horse and riding Institute by the Ministry of Defence, and 23 civilians, of which some are Sport professors of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport. Women have as much their place amongst the ecuyers as men.

The Day of an Ecuyer, Between Training, Competition and Presentation.

Professors before anything else, the ecuyers of the Cadre noir have as their principal mission to transmit technical, theoretical and educational knowledge to the students: the future riding executive, managers and professors in equestrian centre. Furthermore, they spend long hours in the training of the horses ridden by the students, doing research work and increasing equestrian knowledge, and preparing for the competitions.

The day of an ecuyer starts at 7:30. Each ecuyer works daily between 45 minutes and an hour each with their 4 to 6 horses, which they are directly responsible for the breaking and training. These working sessions are spread during the day. At the same time, the ecuyer shares its knowledge. If he is a high-level sportsperson, his timetable must allow him to get prepared for the competitions. The collective repetitions, for the preparation of the presentations and the Cadre noir’s galas, happen several times a week, in the morning.

Even if each ecuyer must be capable of doing all of these missions, some can be devoted to a particular one.

The Chief Ecuyer

The chief ecuyer is in charge of the Cadre noir, he is traditionally from the military body and is called “Grand Dieu”. He is, before anything else, the technical manager, assistant to the director. Responsible for the Cadre noir’s ethic and doctrine, he manages the ecuyers’ training and supervises the quality of the teachings. Brilliant competitions’ riders in at least, one of the three Olympics disciplines. He has a wide knowledge of the equestrian domain, that gives him a great authority.