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A weekend with my horse. Barrière is galloping ahead with great ideas

Racing, jumping, polo or just hacking: horses have been part of the Barrière Group mindset for over a hundred years. Deauville, Dinard, La Baule and Cannes - this is no mere sporting pursuit but part of an elegant history. And now the subject of a surprise or two.

You can bring cats and dogs to all 18 Hôtels Barrière. But what about your horse? Well, now you can it along too. Not to your Hôtel, however. No: the Barrière Group has a bigger idea:  a proper horseriding offering – only available in Deauville for the moment. It has formed a partnership with the prestigious Pôle International du Cheval, which designed and developed its superb "multi-function" facilities close to the Champ de Touques Race Course and less than 4km from the Promenade des Planches and the beach. This is how it works: you have a horse (or horses) and the appropriate transport. They are looked after in the ideal conditions, you go to your Hôtel Barrière - Normandy, Royal or Golf – knowing that you can spend time with your horse or pony whenever you want.  There will be a “welcome bunch of carrots” waiting for you in your Guest Room or Suite - for you-know-who. It’s not an extravagance - but an experience that stengthens the bonds of companionship with an animal who knows you and is aware of  your presence wherever you take them.

 

Early-morning gallop on the sands

 

It is said that looking after a horse is an art and a discipline. This also involves a strict routine for its well-being and a certain freedom – allowing it to choose the pace at which it carries its rider, creating bonds and values combined with attentions and sensations. Barrière’s relationship with the equine world began and continues in Deauville: at the Hippodrome de La Touques, and the Concours de Saut International Officiel, with the Club des Gentlemen-Riders et des Cavalières de France, at the Deauville International Polo Club and the mythical Barrière Polo Cup, at the Arqana horse sales and with the recent spectacular Emanuele Scorcelletti photography exhibition – not forgetting a loyal partnership with the Pôle International du Cheval. And the end-of-summer races at the Meeting Lucien Barrière, of course. But there’s also La Baule, Dinard, Cannes, Enghien-les-Bains and Le Touquet, where horses trot and gallop on the sandy beaches in the early morning. And horses are really popular in France: around 20% of people surveyed by a number of institutes in 2016 said that they "live in horseriding families". And 47% say they are "interested" in horses "without necessarily being a rider". This new Barrière offering illustrates a funny but very apt saying running around stud farms: horse riding is the only individual sport for two.

 

Information and bookings: +33 (0)2 31 14 39 50