Altesse de la Serre, a renowned mare, killed by an “accidental” hunting bullet in a meadow in Nièvre

“I'm really angry. I don't know how I'm going to keep my horses safe. » Diane de Charmasse, breeder in Isenay, has not been able to sleep since Wednesday November 6, the day when her resident, Altesse de la Serre, a nationally renowned mare, was killed by a hunting bullet in her meadow. The animal, 14 years old, temporarily withdrawn from competitions since the gestation and birth of her foal, was enjoying a peaceful vacation in Nièvre while waiting to resume her eventing competitions.

Property and pride of rider Jean-Marie Bazire, the mare shone in dressage, show jumping and cross country. It was estimated at around €30,000.

She thinks she's hurt

“Two hunters knocked on my door on Wednesday. One of them told me he killed a horse in my field by accident,” says the breeder, still overcome with emotion. She doesn't believe a word of it. “For me, it was not possible. » The man claims that he was not in the meadow when the projectile hit him. For Diane de Charmasse, Altesse de la Serre is simply “wounded”, the victim of a “lost bullet”. She runs to her. The mare is lying down. She's not breathing anymore. Anger seizes the breeder, kneeling near the victim. “With the slope and the relief, she couldn't have taken a ball from outside the meadow. The guy must have been in there.” As she stands up, she says she saw a hunter in this meadow!

Don't make a fuss

She notified the police and filed a complaint. The hunters who came to announce the death of the mare left him their contact details and insurance certificates. “They explained to me that I shouldn't make a fuss, that I shouldn't dramatize, that they had insurance. » A sentence stuck in the throat of this horse lover. She strongly encouraged them to leave the premises. Two days after the tragedy, his pain is enormous…

Ludovic Pillevesse
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