Obtaining the ATE Qualification – by Gill Bullocke
The FFE reinstated the ATE (Accompagnateur de Tourisme Equestre) at the beginning of the year. I need this qualification to run our riding holiday business for legal and insurance purposes. I only found out about it by chance in the middle of August when buying a trailer from a centre equestre in the south of the Charente. Initially I looked into validating my previous experience, however as with BPJEPS I needed to be able to prove that I had 2400 hours of teaching which is very difficult given most was either for cash or for nothing as I helped a lot in the pony club. Having given up on that option I then made enquiries about local training (at the Centre Cheval Poney near Perigueux) and found out
that I could train there but I had to an entry test first which was to take place in 10 days time. This did not leave me much time to prepare given that I had to get my Galop 6 and a first aid qualification. You
also need to have a minimum of 7 days of randonnees including 4 consecutive nights away from the point of departure. Last but not least to take the entry test you need to be a member of the FFE.
I got all the necessary qualifications and the paperwork to support them to the Comite de Tourisme Equestre in the Dordogne (it is not always managed by the CTE but sometimes by the CRE) just in time and received a letter confirming that I had been accepted the day before the test.
The test itself took place at the Centre Cheval Poney which is an excellent establishment and very well equiped with horses and buildings and in an superb location for riding out.
There were 14 candidates, some came from a very long way from the Dordogne, all very friendly and alot younger than me but then I expected that. We started off with a PTV (Parcours en Terrain Varié) which was definitely more difficult than the Club Elite level at which I have been competing this year. It included several obstacles where you had to lead your horse and also more where you had to ride one horse and lead another whilst negotiating several obstacles. There was also a tree trunk of 90 cms going up hill about 4 strides prior to which you had to strike off in canter right! I managed it with only one reallyseriously hairy moment and then had to evaluate my performance to the examiners. You need to
know a reasonable amount of correct terminology in French for this, although they did appear to be fairly accomodating about one or two of my expressions. It is critical not to loose your way on the course as 2 people failed because of this. One in particular seemed likely to pass otherwise.
Next up was the POR (Parcours d'orientation) of just under 4 k on foot which I have to say was probably my weakest point, despite lots of practice beforehand. I did find my way round but was well over time and missed one of the balises (check points).
Last but not least I had an interview with the examiners which fortunately went well. They were looking for a resumé of my career, why I wanted to the training, an outline of my business plans as well as to be able to discuss role of the FFE in tourism and to show that I had an understanding of the course content.
My training is due to start on 11th October and will take place over 7 months for 3 days per week ; a total of 600 hours. This includes practical work experience and theory training as well as a daily riding or stable management lesson.
There are 6 modules
Module 1 : Technique équestre - equitation
Module 2 : Connaissance du cheval, soins, entretien, maréchalerie - stable management
Module 3 : Encadrement des promenades et randonnées - orientation, legal stuff, safety etc
Module 4 : Connaissances générales - knowledge of running a equestrian business in France
Module 5 : Entretien des équipements. - maintenance of equipment, saddlery etc
Module 6 : Stage pratique de mise en situation professionnelle - practical experience including a week randonnee
I will have a book in which my progress is recorded and I will be taking exams, practical and theory for each module.
I will write another update once I had some training. I am happy to answer any questions anyone might have.
Here is the link to info about the training on the internet.
http://www.ffe.com/ffe/Formations-Equestres/Qualifications-professionnelles-de-la-FFE/ATE
The FFE reinstated the ATE (Accompagnateur de Tourisme Equestre) at the beginning of the year. I need this qualification to run our riding holiday business for legal and insurance purposes. I only found out about it by chance in the middle of August when buying a trailer from a centre equestre in the south of the Charente. Initially I looked into validating my previous experience, however as with BPJEPS I needed to be able to prove that I had 2400 hours of teaching which is very difficult given most was either for cash or for nothing as I helped a lot in the pony club. Having given up on that option I then made enquiries about local training (at the Centre Cheval Poney near Perigueux) and found out
that I could train there but I had to an entry test first which was to take place in 10 days time. This did not leave me much time to prepare given that I had to get my Galop 6 and a first aid qualification. You
also need to have a minimum of 7 days of randonnees including 4 consecutive nights away from the point of departure. Last but not least to take the entry test you need to be a member of the FFE.
I got all the necessary qualifications and the paperwork to support them to the Comite de Tourisme Equestre in the Dordogne (it is not always managed by the CTE but sometimes by the CRE) just in time and received a letter confirming that I had been accepted the day before the test.
The test itself took place at the Centre Cheval Poney which is an excellent establishment and very well equiped with horses and buildings and in an superb location for riding out.
There were 14 candidates, some came from a very long way from the Dordogne, all very friendly and alot younger than me but then I expected that. We started off with a PTV (Parcours en Terrain Varié) which was definitely more difficult than the Club Elite level at which I have been competing this year. It included several obstacles where you had to lead your horse and also more where you had to ride one horse and lead another whilst negotiating several obstacles. There was also a tree trunk of 90 cms going up hill about 4 strides prior to which you had to strike off in canter right! I managed it with only one reallyseriously hairy moment and then had to evaluate my performance to the examiners. You need to
know a reasonable amount of correct terminology in French for this, although they did appear to be fairly accomodating about one or two of my expressions. It is critical not to loose your way on the course as 2 people failed because of this. One in particular seemed likely to pass otherwise.
Next up was the POR (Parcours d'orientation) of just under 4 k on foot which I have to say was probably my weakest point, despite lots of practice beforehand. I did find my way round but was well over time and missed one of the balises (check points).
Last but not least I had an interview with the examiners which fortunately went well. They were looking for a resumé of my career, why I wanted to the training, an outline of my business plans as well as to be able to discuss role of the FFE in tourism and to show that I had an understanding of the course content.
My training is due to start on 11th October and will take place over 7 months for 3 days per week ; a total of 600 hours. This includes practical work experience and theory training as well as a daily riding or stable management lesson.
There are 6 modules
Module 1 : Technique équestre - equitation
Module 2 : Connaissance du cheval, soins, entretien, maréchalerie - stable management
Module 3 : Encadrement des promenades et randonnées - orientation, legal stuff, safety etc
Module 4 : Connaissances générales - knowledge of running a equestrian business in France
Module 5 : Entretien des équipements. - maintenance of equipment, saddlery etc
Module 6 : Stage pratique de mise en situation professionnelle - practical experience including a week randonnee
I will have a book in which my progress is recorded and I will be taking exams, practical and theory for each module.
I will write another update once I had some training. I am happy to answer any questions anyone might have.
Here is the link to info about the training on the internet.
http://www.ffe.com/ffe/Formations-Equestres/Qualifications-professionnelles-de-la-FFE/ATE
Obtaining the ATE Qualification – by Gill Bullocke – 2nd article
Here is my latest update about my training to become qualified as an Accompagnateur de Tourisme Equestre.
My training began on a very cold day in mid October which did rather dampen my enthusiasm. Myself and 3 others, were greeted by Emilie Cauchois who runs the Centre Cheval Poney with her brother Bull Cauchois ex TREC champion of France. Bull and Emilie are supported by their parents and also by a cousin who is training for her BPJEPS (Brevet
Professionnel de la Jeunesse, de l’Education Populaire et du Sport) in horse tourism and 2 sisters one of whom is studying horse breeding and the other is also doing her BPJEPS and is based at the centre.
They have approximately 60 horses mostly Arabs or Arab crosses, all of whom are very quiet and nice tempered. They breed most of their own horses and have a lovely Arab stallion who lives in the yard with all the other horses and is quiet enough to be handled by most students. They produce all their own organic hay, straw and hard feed which is a mixture of triticale, oats, barley and maize. They also make some lucerne which is fed wilted almost straight from the field.
The training both practical and theoretical is mixed up with the stage, i.e. on the job training, thus the daily programme for the first 2 days Monday and Tuesday is a daily riding lesson, dressage or jumping, practical stable management, and theory training, plus helping with the
daily running of the yard which is mostly confined to bringing horses in and out from the paddocks and cleaning up. On Wednesdays when the centre is busy with lessons we have to help the younger children get their ponies ready and lead them if they are going out for a ride. Occasionally we ride out for hack with some clients and Emilie or her sister Meline. I
hope that in due course we will get to take a bit more responsibility.
We are also learning about farriery and in particular to remove a shoe and replace it. Yes it is legal in France. My first attempts were not very successful but I am beginning to get the hang of it now. It is very technical much more so than I anticipated and it is hard to remember all
the names of the different parts of the shoe and the tools.
The dressage training is interesting and I am delighted to be able have someone explain my faults to me and to keep nagging me to correct them. It has taken a while to get used to riding their Arab horses as they are a very different shape to my Lusitano. Being school horses they are also much less off the leg which I find frustrating and tiring, nevertheless they are generous and will go nicely if you can find the right buttons to press. My big problem is that my hands are too fixed, however I have finally begun to understand what it is that I am doing and how to correct it. I am riding their young horses and enjoying working on lateral
movements such as leg yielding and shoulder in. We have also done some work without stirrups which was tough but not as bad as I had expected, I could still walk the next day! The objective of this training is to enable us to prepare horses for use on randonnees as well as to improve our riding generally. We also need to able to assess a horse for its suitability.
The jumping training consists mostly of grid work at the moment. Interestingly, they were teaching us to remain "en equilibre", i.e. in the jumping position all the time not just whilst jumping the fence. This is new to me as until this year I have not had any lessons for about 20
years!! Their philosophy is that you should be secure, supple and balanced and allow the horse to bascule under you. This leads to a smoother and more harmonious round. All their horses jump very willingly and I am gaining much needed confidence as well improving my position and remembering to look up on the approach. It is amazing how much this can
put the horse out of balance. The objective of the jumping training is to enable us to complete a PTV (Parcours Terrain Varié) as this forms a large part of the final riding exam.
Overall I am enjoying the training despite finding it frustrating that there is no dispensation from the basic chores that I have to do with my own horses especially when I have to do them in the dark before I leave in the morning. However, everyone is friendly, helpful and up for a laugh especially when I don't catch on to the jokes quickly enough!
Here is my latest update about my training to become qualified as an Accompagnateur de Tourisme Equestre.
My training began on a very cold day in mid October which did rather dampen my enthusiasm. Myself and 3 others, were greeted by Emilie Cauchois who runs the Centre Cheval Poney with her brother Bull Cauchois ex TREC champion of France. Bull and Emilie are supported by their parents and also by a cousin who is training for her BPJEPS (Brevet
Professionnel de la Jeunesse, de l’Education Populaire et du Sport) in horse tourism and 2 sisters one of whom is studying horse breeding and the other is also doing her BPJEPS and is based at the centre.
They have approximately 60 horses mostly Arabs or Arab crosses, all of whom are very quiet and nice tempered. They breed most of their own horses and have a lovely Arab stallion who lives in the yard with all the other horses and is quiet enough to be handled by most students. They produce all their own organic hay, straw and hard feed which is a mixture of triticale, oats, barley and maize. They also make some lucerne which is fed wilted almost straight from the field.
The training both practical and theoretical is mixed up with the stage, i.e. on the job training, thus the daily programme for the first 2 days Monday and Tuesday is a daily riding lesson, dressage or jumping, practical stable management, and theory training, plus helping with the
daily running of the yard which is mostly confined to bringing horses in and out from the paddocks and cleaning up. On Wednesdays when the centre is busy with lessons we have to help the younger children get their ponies ready and lead them if they are going out for a ride. Occasionally we ride out for hack with some clients and Emilie or her sister Meline. I
hope that in due course we will get to take a bit more responsibility.
We are also learning about farriery and in particular to remove a shoe and replace it. Yes it is legal in France. My first attempts were not very successful but I am beginning to get the hang of it now. It is very technical much more so than I anticipated and it is hard to remember all
the names of the different parts of the shoe and the tools.
The dressage training is interesting and I am delighted to be able have someone explain my faults to me and to keep nagging me to correct them. It has taken a while to get used to riding their Arab horses as they are a very different shape to my Lusitano. Being school horses they are also much less off the leg which I find frustrating and tiring, nevertheless they are generous and will go nicely if you can find the right buttons to press. My big problem is that my hands are too fixed, however I have finally begun to understand what it is that I am doing and how to correct it. I am riding their young horses and enjoying working on lateral
movements such as leg yielding and shoulder in. We have also done some work without stirrups which was tough but not as bad as I had expected, I could still walk the next day! The objective of this training is to enable us to prepare horses for use on randonnees as well as to improve our riding generally. We also need to able to assess a horse for its suitability.
The jumping training consists mostly of grid work at the moment. Interestingly, they were teaching us to remain "en equilibre", i.e. in the jumping position all the time not just whilst jumping the fence. This is new to me as until this year I have not had any lessons for about 20
years!! Their philosophy is that you should be secure, supple and balanced and allow the horse to bascule under you. This leads to a smoother and more harmonious round. All their horses jump very willingly and I am gaining much needed confidence as well improving my position and remembering to look up on the approach. It is amazing how much this can
put the horse out of balance. The objective of the jumping training is to enable us to complete a PTV (Parcours Terrain Varié) as this forms a large part of the final riding exam.
Overall I am enjoying the training despite finding it frustrating that there is no dispensation from the basic chores that I have to do with my own horses especially when I have to do them in the dark before I leave in the morning. However, everyone is friendly, helpful and up for a laugh especially when I don't catch on to the jokes quickly enough!
Obtaining the ATE Qualification – by Gill Bullocke – 3rd article
Here is my latest update about my training to become qualified as an Accompagnateur de Tourisme Equestre.
It has been tough going since my last update mainly due to the cold weather, the travelling and the physical demands of the training. However we are on the home run now with only 3 months to go. My fellow students have kept me going with their humour, kindness and encouragement. Lunchtime breaks are a great opportunity to warm up in congenial company and to learn the finer points of the French language as well as a few new slang words much to everyone's amusement. There is a fair exchange as they are also keen to know more English words and more about the way we doing things with our horses.
I also hit a plateau in terms of improvement in my riding. My bête noire, my hands are my big problem and I have been struggling to understand why I do not seem to be able to get it right. I will try and explain. I have a tendency to fix my hands which restricts the horse's forward movement. This is more or less evident depending on the sensitivity of the horse. In addition, the more I have to use my legs to get the horse to go forward and or sideways the more I am inclined to tense up in my hands, arms, shoulders and upper body thus exacerbating any tendency to hollow or preventing the horse from becoming round and thus bringing his hindquarters further underneath his body. Try as I would I could not achieve the suppleness and sensitivity required. However in the last week or so I have had some better results following advice from Emilie to think that, even though I am taking a contact, it is with the objective of creating forward movement. I have also begun to try and keep and even contact but flexing my wrist forward to release a little to reward the horse when he accepts my hand. I also find it hard to keep up the amount of leg required for long enough to get a result; I tend heave sigh of relief as soon as the horse accepts my hand and let everything go, mainly due to exhaustion. Yes I am still not fit enough despite all the walking to get horses in and sweeping up that I am doing.
Enough of the technical stuff, we have also been continuing our training in farriery and I am finally getting the hang of taking off a shoe and putting it back on again, which we have to do in 20 minutes for the final exam. In addition we have been studying diseases and ailments of the horse. This has been useful for learning the vocabulary needed to demonstrate my knowledge when it comes to the final exam. I have also learnt about disorders that I have not come across in the UK, such as heat exhaustion and dehydration. Furthermore I have learn a great deal more about the alimentary system of the horse. Last but not least we have just had a very interesting training session in saddlery making with the objective of enabling us to repair our own tack and to make emergency repairs on a randonnée.
As part of our training, we are going to be doing a 5 day randonnée in the south of the Dordogne as a group at the beginning of March. Fortunately we are not going to be camping although it was a possibility at one point! More about our adventures in my next update.
Here is my latest update about my training to become qualified as an Accompagnateur de Tourisme Equestre.
It has been tough going since my last update mainly due to the cold weather, the travelling and the physical demands of the training. However we are on the home run now with only 3 months to go. My fellow students have kept me going with their humour, kindness and encouragement. Lunchtime breaks are a great opportunity to warm up in congenial company and to learn the finer points of the French language as well as a few new slang words much to everyone's amusement. There is a fair exchange as they are also keen to know more English words and more about the way we doing things with our horses.
I also hit a plateau in terms of improvement in my riding. My bête noire, my hands are my big problem and I have been struggling to understand why I do not seem to be able to get it right. I will try and explain. I have a tendency to fix my hands which restricts the horse's forward movement. This is more or less evident depending on the sensitivity of the horse. In addition, the more I have to use my legs to get the horse to go forward and or sideways the more I am inclined to tense up in my hands, arms, shoulders and upper body thus exacerbating any tendency to hollow or preventing the horse from becoming round and thus bringing his hindquarters further underneath his body. Try as I would I could not achieve the suppleness and sensitivity required. However in the last week or so I have had some better results following advice from Emilie to think that, even though I am taking a contact, it is with the objective of creating forward movement. I have also begun to try and keep and even contact but flexing my wrist forward to release a little to reward the horse when he accepts my hand. I also find it hard to keep up the amount of leg required for long enough to get a result; I tend heave sigh of relief as soon as the horse accepts my hand and let everything go, mainly due to exhaustion. Yes I am still not fit enough despite all the walking to get horses in and sweeping up that I am doing.
Enough of the technical stuff, we have also been continuing our training in farriery and I am finally getting the hang of taking off a shoe and putting it back on again, which we have to do in 20 minutes for the final exam. In addition we have been studying diseases and ailments of the horse. This has been useful for learning the vocabulary needed to demonstrate my knowledge when it comes to the final exam. I have also learnt about disorders that I have not come across in the UK, such as heat exhaustion and dehydration. Furthermore I have learn a great deal more about the alimentary system of the horse. Last but not least we have just had a very interesting training session in saddlery making with the objective of enabling us to repair our own tack and to make emergency repairs on a randonnée.
As part of our training, we are going to be doing a 5 day randonnée in the south of the Dordogne as a group at the beginning of March. Fortunately we are not going to be camping although it was a possibility at one point! More about our adventures in my next update.
Obtaining the ATE Qualification – by Gill Bullocke – 4th article
The last time I wrote about my training I was about to go on our 5 day randonnee which is an essential part of the training. This took place at the beginning of March during which we had glorious sunny weather although the nights were still cold, sometimes even frosty. Our route took us south from the Centre Cheval Poney down to La Haute Yerle via St Felix de Reillac and Limeuil which is a delightful little town on the confluence of the rivers Dordogne and Vézère where we spent a couple days before moving on via Les Eyzies to le Bugue from where we boxed back.
Nine of us, 5 trainee ATEs, 2 trainee BPJEPS Tourisme Equestre, one client and our trainer took part in the randonnée. On the first day I had the task of leading the group which meant reading the map whilst also ensuring the safety and well being of the group, which was not easy especially we had to cross the A89 from Perigueux to Brive at a very hazardous point. I then managed to get a bit lost and needed help to find our way to the rendez-vous for lunch. Thankfully someone else took over for the afternoon and we arrived at our first overnight stop in good time. We had a comfortable gite and the horses were put in a couple of temporary paddocks on the farm belonging to the gite owners.
I did not take the lead again until the penultimate day when I had again a lot to learn about making safe crossings where visibility is poor and about ensuring that I was looking after the group sufficiently well, keeping them informed and controlled for their safety and not making mistakes in reading the map. During the trip we also had to share in the catering, cooking and providing the back up each day. L'intendance as it is called means clearing up at each overnight venue, packing the van with everyone's bags, doing any additional shopping, making the picnic and the evening meal. Oh yes and putting up the lines to which the horses were tied at lunchtime, a source of my demise for my final exam.
Each evening we had to do a debrief which was typically direct. Nevertheless it was very useful and jovial, and the mostly young people were very welcoming to me, one of two middle aged ladies. We had lots of laughs and I learned new slang words as well as more about French customs and generosity. The horses, who all returned sound, although a bit thinner than when they departed, were superb, ongoing as well as calm. This despite the long days of up to 25k and the occasional idiot lorry driver such as the one in Les Eyzies who insisted on overtaking our group (crossing safely in pairs) on a bridge over the river Vézère, passing within inches of the outside horses. The last morning was a delight as we cantered along the banks of the Vézère to Le Bugue in the warm spring sunshine. It was sad to leave everyone and return home at the end of our 5 day adventure from which I will always have many happy memories.
Next up for us was the general exam which includes sections on farriery, stable management, topography, equitation, saddlery repair and general business knowledge. This took place in late May and as it was run on a regional basis we had to travel to central point for the Aquitaine, 50k south of Bordeaux. The Centre Cheval Poney kindly lent us 2 of their horses for the exam and trucked them down for us. However as it was a very early start to a long day we all travelled down the night before. We also took the opportunity to look around the site and much to our horror found that the course for the PTV included a huge log pile only 5 strides after a big drop and followed by a narrow bordure maraichère (80 cm passage between 2 poles designed to simulate a narrow path) which had to be executed in counter canter!! The equitation section included a warm up then doing the PTV (Parcours en Terrain Varié) which included a section where you had to lead a second horse through a series of difficulties (obstacles) such as bending poles, up and down banks and halt together in a defined area. On completion of the course we had to do a debrief with the examiners, mentioning the good and bad points as well as the areas for improvement. The next part consisted either lunging a horse and loading a horse in a trailer or showing in hand (the French way). Fortunately the PTV in particular went very well for me as my little mare was superb and jumped brilliantly. I managed to scrape through the rest of the modules to pass much to my huge relief and delight.
Next up was the Journée Professional which consists taking a group of 6 riders (real paying clients) plus the examiner and my trainer out for a day's randonnée using the horses from the Centre Equestre. This, I mistakenly thought, was the easy bit however it was not to be! I had to write and submit to the examiner a report describing the route, my preparations for the day and include a map as well as a profile of the route. This meant several trips down to St Antoine d'Auberoche to check out the itinerary (so that there were no map reading errors), to visit the lunchtime location and to find out about places of interest en route.
So to the big day. I arrived bright and early and still managed not to be ready on time because I failed to see that one horse had lost a shoe. A client kindly pointed it out but this meant a delay whilst he was re-shod which was not a good start and turned out to be auspicious. Having got away about 45 minutes late all went well until some cows frightened a young mare and her poor rider jettisoned to prevent them becoming tangled in a barbed wire fence. Fortunately she was not seriously hurt and we re-assembled, remounted and carried on without further incident until we got to our picnic venue. Here unfortunately I had not put up the lines for the horses myself and on arrival I discovered that they were not only too loose but also too low so I had to redo them in front of the examiner who was not at all happy. I was very lucky to have the valiant help of Sheila Tragett who kindly rode as one of my clients and I managed make them safe after an embarrassing half hour. The picnic lunch (which I also had to provide) and the afternoon passed off reasonably well. We even managed a longish canter as well as a tricky road crossing. However it was not good enough after the morning's incident which unfortunately I did not handle safely enough to pass.
It was very disappointing but I did learn a lot and fortunately the examiner was kind enough to agree to come back again in a couple of weeks and to let me take a few less clients. This time there were no nasty incidents and I was deemed capable of taking a group of people on a randonnée. More relief and my dream was beginning to look like reality again.
The last time I wrote about my training I was about to go on our 5 day randonnee which is an essential part of the training. This took place at the beginning of March during which we had glorious sunny weather although the nights were still cold, sometimes even frosty. Our route took us south from the Centre Cheval Poney down to La Haute Yerle via St Felix de Reillac and Limeuil which is a delightful little town on the confluence of the rivers Dordogne and Vézère where we spent a couple days before moving on via Les Eyzies to le Bugue from where we boxed back.
Nine of us, 5 trainee ATEs, 2 trainee BPJEPS Tourisme Equestre, one client and our trainer took part in the randonnée. On the first day I had the task of leading the group which meant reading the map whilst also ensuring the safety and well being of the group, which was not easy especially we had to cross the A89 from Perigueux to Brive at a very hazardous point. I then managed to get a bit lost and needed help to find our way to the rendez-vous for lunch. Thankfully someone else took over for the afternoon and we arrived at our first overnight stop in good time. We had a comfortable gite and the horses were put in a couple of temporary paddocks on the farm belonging to the gite owners.
I did not take the lead again until the penultimate day when I had again a lot to learn about making safe crossings where visibility is poor and about ensuring that I was looking after the group sufficiently well, keeping them informed and controlled for their safety and not making mistakes in reading the map. During the trip we also had to share in the catering, cooking and providing the back up each day. L'intendance as it is called means clearing up at each overnight venue, packing the van with everyone's bags, doing any additional shopping, making the picnic and the evening meal. Oh yes and putting up the lines to which the horses were tied at lunchtime, a source of my demise for my final exam.
Each evening we had to do a debrief which was typically direct. Nevertheless it was very useful and jovial, and the mostly young people were very welcoming to me, one of two middle aged ladies. We had lots of laughs and I learned new slang words as well as more about French customs and generosity. The horses, who all returned sound, although a bit thinner than when they departed, were superb, ongoing as well as calm. This despite the long days of up to 25k and the occasional idiot lorry driver such as the one in Les Eyzies who insisted on overtaking our group (crossing safely in pairs) on a bridge over the river Vézère, passing within inches of the outside horses. The last morning was a delight as we cantered along the banks of the Vézère to Le Bugue in the warm spring sunshine. It was sad to leave everyone and return home at the end of our 5 day adventure from which I will always have many happy memories.
Next up for us was the general exam which includes sections on farriery, stable management, topography, equitation, saddlery repair and general business knowledge. This took place in late May and as it was run on a regional basis we had to travel to central point for the Aquitaine, 50k south of Bordeaux. The Centre Cheval Poney kindly lent us 2 of their horses for the exam and trucked them down for us. However as it was a very early start to a long day we all travelled down the night before. We also took the opportunity to look around the site and much to our horror found that the course for the PTV included a huge log pile only 5 strides after a big drop and followed by a narrow bordure maraichère (80 cm passage between 2 poles designed to simulate a narrow path) which had to be executed in counter canter!! The equitation section included a warm up then doing the PTV (Parcours en Terrain Varié) which included a section where you had to lead a second horse through a series of difficulties (obstacles) such as bending poles, up and down banks and halt together in a defined area. On completion of the course we had to do a debrief with the examiners, mentioning the good and bad points as well as the areas for improvement. The next part consisted either lunging a horse and loading a horse in a trailer or showing in hand (the French way). Fortunately the PTV in particular went very well for me as my little mare was superb and jumped brilliantly. I managed to scrape through the rest of the modules to pass much to my huge relief and delight.
Next up was the Journée Professional which consists taking a group of 6 riders (real paying clients) plus the examiner and my trainer out for a day's randonnée using the horses from the Centre Equestre. This, I mistakenly thought, was the easy bit however it was not to be! I had to write and submit to the examiner a report describing the route, my preparations for the day and include a map as well as a profile of the route. This meant several trips down to St Antoine d'Auberoche to check out the itinerary (so that there were no map reading errors), to visit the lunchtime location and to find out about places of interest en route.
So to the big day. I arrived bright and early and still managed not to be ready on time because I failed to see that one horse had lost a shoe. A client kindly pointed it out but this meant a delay whilst he was re-shod which was not a good start and turned out to be auspicious. Having got away about 45 minutes late all went well until some cows frightened a young mare and her poor rider jettisoned to prevent them becoming tangled in a barbed wire fence. Fortunately she was not seriously hurt and we re-assembled, remounted and carried on without further incident until we got to our picnic venue. Here unfortunately I had not put up the lines for the horses myself and on arrival I discovered that they were not only too loose but also too low so I had to redo them in front of the examiner who was not at all happy. I was very lucky to have the valiant help of Sheila Tragett who kindly rode as one of my clients and I managed make them safe after an embarrassing half hour. The picnic lunch (which I also had to provide) and the afternoon passed off reasonably well. We even managed a longish canter as well as a tricky road crossing. However it was not good enough after the morning's incident which unfortunately I did not handle safely enough to pass.
It was very disappointing but I did learn a lot and fortunately the examiner was kind enough to agree to come back again in a couple of weeks and to let me take a few less clients. This time there were no nasty incidents and I was deemed capable of taking a group of people on a randonnée. More relief and my dream was beginning to look like reality again.