La Manche, an internationally recognized land of horse breeding

” It's friendly, cheap and less bling-bling than modern sales. In the horse world, a lot of people are arrogant and that’s not the case here.” This is Daniel Boudrenghien's response when asked why, for more than fifteen years, this Belgian breeding manager has traveled 550 kilometers every year to Sainte-Marie-du-Mont to buy horses.

Every end of the year, the Sainte-Mère-Eglise horse breeders group organizes an amicable sale, “the last in Franceaffirms its president, Emmanuel Bacheley. “This sale has the particularity that we do not take commission fees. The transaction is made directly between the buyer and the seller. Horses therefore cheaper: count between 8,000 and 30,000 euros. “It’s sometimes the investment of one’s life, explains Emmanuel Backeley, so we like to discuss with the owner to see the character of the mother, the evolution of the horse since its birth.”

“They have extraordinary osteoarticular development”

This Saturday, November 9, 35 horses are for sale. Several hundred buyers are expected. They sometimes come from Belgium, Germany, Italy and the south of France, like Jonathan Martinez, CSO rider from Montpellier: “This is the third time I’ve come. The horses here are good”.

Quality recognized internationally. “La Manche has always been a breeding ground, agrees Jean Piedboeuf, a Belgian who settled in Saint-Marcouf to launch his horse pension. Ici, we enjoy large plots of land and quality grass all year round“unlike Belgium. “Our horses are raised outside, this is not the case everywhere, explains Emmanuel Backeley. They walk a lot, and quality grass allows them to have exceptional osteoarticular development. They have more strength and much better longevity“. A formula that seems to convince: Manche is the leading French saddle breeding department, with more than 1,200 births per year.