Dreaming of Paris

Our Olympic Dreams evolve. For me the beginning of my awareness was Saturday mornings spent watching my much loved video recording of International Velvet. Time passed and my Olympic heroes came into focus, Sir Mark Todd and Nicole Uphoff. I remember my excitement around the build up to Sydney when I had a more developed understanding of high performance sport and a forlorn hope that my sport at that time, Polocrosse might make an appearance, Brisbane in 2032 perhaps? I switched my attention to Dressage around 2004, though my early love of speed and jumping still had me glued to the screen. A new era of Dressage in England was unfolding with Carl Hester, Emma Hindle, Emile Faurie and Laura Fry commanding my screen. Who can forget 2011 with Laura B and Charlotte Dujardin owning the arena, there was such a buzz in our sport with London 2012 in our sights. I added a new Olympic experience to my collection of incredible memories when I was invited to go and watch the first day of Dressage. Sublime. Nerve wracking. Surreal. The Olympics is the ultimate for our athletes and there is a magic in the air for spectators too. Fast forward through Rio, past the scary year where everything stopped, to Tokyo 20 arriving this year. I really did enjoy the sport, the broadcasting, the discussions, the sense of the extraordinary juxtaposed with the normalcy of our sport going ahead. Eerie as the empty stadia were at times, for the Dressage at least there was some of the best competition I’ve seen. The podium for the Individual medals,  with three riders who all now have Olympic Gold, demonstrated the high quality of the partnerships showing us what top Dressage looks like. 
My favourite horse of the games,  Charlotte Dujardin’s Gio was a joy to watch and I adored the behind the scenes photos of him and Charlotte hanging out together. I hadn’t truly understood his diminutive size until I saw a picture of him at the press day with Charlotte and Valegro. I really hope to see them in Paris in just 3 years time. 

 Countdown to Paris

I have been exploring the beautiful City of Paris and the venue for the Equestrian disciplines at Versailles online. There is a wealth of information to help both armchair tourists and those who plan to visit in person . I’ve curated a few of the places that caught my eye and bookmarked lots of websites for further reading. The history of horses living in Paris and the Equestrian history of France is fascinating. The Art collection at the Palace of Versailles is well established, the Carriage Museum and The Gardens are not to be missed. 
First stop is The  Tourist Information Office  which is a great hub with editorial and links to venues and events. The Paris Horse Show with the Longines Showjumping is surely a great starting point to find your way around the thriving French horse industry. 

I can think of no better place to take my Dressage Cafe training than on a tour of the Parisian Hotels and Cafes.  The Ritz Paris ,  Angelina and  Hotel de Crillon would most definitely be on my list. From madeleines to macaron, dainty patisserie taken in the most chic of surroundings. I can well imagine Dressage enthusiasts pausing from their study to try the delicacies on offer. 

The History of the Stables at Versailles is intriguing and if you are visiting in person it’s worth booking a guided tour. For those of us still at home then they have a YouTube channel, fact sheets detailing the timeline and development of the palace and a quite unique 3D experience which allows you to view  some of the exquisite royal carriages. 
Discovering Versailles

Paris is the birthplace of The Circus and there are two troupes in the City. Performances are available to watch at The Academy of Versailles. 

The Republican Guard’s Cavalry division are in the Celestine District. Since 1895 it’s been the Headquarters for the regiment. Today 140 horses and the Brass Band are in residence .  The guided tour whilst delivered in French offers a unique perspective of the heart of Paris. 

I have enjoyed researching and writing about my first dream-cation destination. I am sure that this series will expand in the future and evolve along with my other Equestrian Dreams.