Pierre Durand
Pierre Durand
It was at the age of 10 that I had my first real encounter with a horse. She was called Gitane. She completely seduced me, like a bolt of lightening, which ignited a double passion that has never left me: the first for horses, and the second for the practical realm of equestrian sport.
Since then, my life has been conducted and dedicated to these loves of my life - after Gitane came Bonita, Urgence, Velleda, Laudanum, Jappeloup, Narcotique and, today, once again, Gentleman.
Every one gave me incomparable joy and filled my life with formidable emotions. My family did not come from equestrian traditions so it was through my first instructor that I discovered the foundations of riding that were subsequently enriched essentially by observation, reading, and discussions with other riders.
In the beginning, it was three-day eventing that drew me close to the three Olympic disciplines but, following a nasty fall at the age of 12, my parents decided that I should change to showjumping, which was considered less dangerous.
Very soon, I dreamed of becoming an Olympic Champion like Pierre Jonquères d'Oriola. And this childhood dream transformed into a sincere obsession in my adult years that a horse like no other gave
me the opportunity to realize: he was called JAPPELOUP.
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