Step by step, the art of becoming a rider at the Galeizon equestrian center

Gulia et Dorémi, premier pas et début d’un apprentissage qui peut mener jusqu’à la compétition. Midi Libre – STEPHANE BARBIER

Coordination, competitions, self-confidence, the center run by rider Justine Garcia in Cendras, north of Alès, welcomes ages 3 to 70.

Her pony is the smallest of the group. She is also the smallest of the five girls gathered in the arena of the Cendrasian equestrian center that morning. Not a little proud because, once mounted on Dorémi, Gulia, 4 years old, feels "big".
At her side, Léa, 6 1/2 years old, appreciates Diablo's galloping, "because it goes faster".

A taste for freedom that is already just waiting to be expressed… Suddenly, a fusional relationship with their mount appears when, at the command of their instructor, Cristelle Cabanel, the whole small troop starts trotting.

A real sponge for emotion…

Concentration then freezes faces, bodies rise to the rhythm of the pony's movement and, under the bombs, we can guess the emotion.“It channels them a lot, makes them responsible and calms them down,” confides Cristelle, riding crop in hand. At a walk, it requires them to learn to balance themselves and then, at a trot, to adopt a posture that is good for muscle tone. And also, to know how to coordinate their movements. Finally, they have to control their fear because there is a form of unpredictability. But through play and the desire to win, fear is forgotten…"

From play to competition, there is only a gallop that Justine Garcia, director of the center and professional competitor at heart, offers with joy with her horse Atac. At her side, two young riders, Orane, 24 years old and soon Chloé, see the objective of the French championship, in Lamotte-Beuvron, beginning soon with local competitions. "The competitive spirit requires diligence and allows you to create goals", smiles Justine Garcia in charge of the sixty horses gathered on the site.

A passion and unwavering commitment to the sport despite the little media exposure that French equestrianism received at the Olympic Games. And the very poor result of French riders did nothing to help. No matter. The animal's power of seduction is there. As Gaëlle Auger, a future riding instructor, testifies, explaining how equine therapy, for everyone, brings benefits.

“The horse feels everything. It is a real sponge for emotion. And a stressed person can hold out the nicest horse in the world." From this singular sensitivity opens the field of an extraordinary relationship. Beneficial, rewarding and stimulating. Who can say better…

The Galeizon equestrian center (contact: 06 73 99 38 84), hamlet of La Baume in Cendras, and that of Animalin in Saint-Martin-de-Valgalgues, are open to the general public this Saturday on the occasion of the Horse Day organized by the French Equestrian Federation. (Info: tousacheval.ffe.com). I subscribe to read the rest