At the Rouquettes, this equestrian sport is practiced as a family. With his younger brother Thibaut, Anthony travels across France and beyond to win numerous titles.
For several years, Anthony Rouquette, a Combretois rider, has been selected for the French Pony-Mounted-Games (PMG) team. In 2024, with his horse Enzo, aged ten, and his younger brother Thibaut, also a competitor, he traveled the roads to reach the four corners of France and beyond. Pony games is an equestrian discipline that is practiced in teams, but also alone or in pairs depending on different levels.
“It’s a team relay race, explains Anthony Rouquette. It is often a round trip on a straight line about eighty meters long. There are compulsory figures, such as moving an object, dismounting, picking up an object from the ground and getting back on the horse. There is also a slalom and different games. Several teams complete the same route in parallel. The one who completes the course the fastest without any mistakes wins.
For the Rouquettes, pony-mounted games are a family affair. The ponies train at the Roucadou farm, in the town of Combret-sur-Rance. The coach is Hélène, the mother. Pierre-Louis, the father, is a loyal supporter. Today, the two competitors are Thibaut, 17 years old, in the under-18 category, and Anthony, 32 years old, in the adult open category. Thibault has been riding horses since the age of four and has been competing since 2015.
“We don’t win alone”
Anthony has been competing since 2012. The couple Anthony and Enzo play in the Red Eagle team which has five riders. In 2024, their exploits begin in March with the bronze medal during the international competition at the Angers-Corné equestrian center in Maine-et-Loire. In April, the team came third at the international competition in Lignière-en-Berry in Cher. In May, she was vice-champion of France in elite club excellence at the French championships in Lamotte-Beuvron in Loir-et-Cher.
In mid-June, the team won the International Night of Saint-Sauvant in Charente-Maritime. But Anthony Rouquette doesn’t stop there. At the beginning of May, he was third in the Champions League in Normandy. With his brother Thibaut, the duo won the PMG at L’Hôpital-le-Grand in the Loire. In July, Anthony Rouquette is world champion in Arezzo, Italy. Title already won in 2022 in Normandy.
In August, he won bronze at the European Championships in Lamotte-Beuvron. In October, at the PMG in Cluny, in Saône-et-Loire, he won the bronze medal and his brother Thibaut the gold medal. And in November, with his Red Eagle teammates, Anthony won the European Indoor Cup in Lamotte-Beuvron.
“You have to trust others”
Thibaut Rouquette participates in pony games competitions with Escort, a ten-year-old mare. In April, he won the international of Lignières-en-Berry, in the Cher, in a team of five, as well as the international of Cluny also in a team of five: “I really like team spirit and the relationship with teammates. You don’t win alone. You have to trust others. I like the competitive spirit and the thrill of speed. It’s a sport that we do as a family. I started with my mother. Today, as a Pony Games player, I am also progressing with Anthony on the technical aspect.
In 2025, with his team based in Poitiers, Anthony Rouquette would like to win the French Elite Excellence championship, the highest level. He is also aiming for participation in the Champions League at European level: “As an individual, I would like to represent France and make the triple European champion, French champion and world champion in Belgium.”
