La Centaurée: flower or riding centre?

La Centaurée: flower or riding centre?

It's both! This flower, also known as the mountain cornflower, is said to have nursed a centaur named Chiron. Chiron was a wise, benevolent and caring centaur. In a way, he is the soul of La Centaurée...

And it’s also a riding centre, a project that Nathalie set up 15 years ago in the Drôme Provençale and which now needs your help for new facilities and farm equipment.

 

My journey...

This passion began when I was very young, with animals in general but horses most of all! I started out breeding goats, then returned to my passion and set up my own riding school with very little money.

At the age of 19, I was proud to buy my first two mares, which would later produce five magnificent foals. The herd has grown over the years with the purchase of other horses and ponies.

 

I'm a determined, hard-working horsewoman who, after many solo travels on horseback, has now turned to teaching, which has been a real revelation for me. Bit by bit, I invested the little I earned in this project without resorting to loans. In 2008, with my riding certificate in hand, I opened my own riding school.

Following a forced move two years ago due to a non-renewed lease, I had to take out a bank loan for the first time to set up new facilities on a new site that was safer as a rural lease, but more arid. It was either that or stop entirely. Fortunately, my loyal customers followed me and the adventure could continue.

 

A riding centre based on eco-responsibility and new equestrian methods

Around twenty horses and ponies live on the 8-hectare farm. Other rented land is used for breeding and fodder production.

Open all year round, lessons, training courses, trekking and a Shetland pony farm are sure to delight young and old alike.

We focus on ethology (the study of horse behaviour) - sessions on foot where you play with the horses, dressage, jumping... and even archery on horseback. Horses are usually ridden in (bitless) rope halters, with a respectful, patient and caring approach.

Hay for our horses: Thanks to my partner Christian, we've been able to reclaim some fallow land to produce hay.

How beautiful are our olives! There are also around 170 olive trees on the new farm. Manure from the horses provides fertiliser for the orchards. No chemical treatments are used. Olive oil, table olives and olive tapenade are sold locally.

We are eco-responsible, because we rarely move horses by van or lorry. We prefer to ride rather than compete. And we travel on horseback as much as we can.

In summer, it gets hotter and hotter! As a result, we move the horses to higher altitudes in our mountains in search of the cool, and 3 months of grass essential for their metabolism. And from there, we offer treks with bivouacs in truly wild places, sleeping with the horses like cowboys, guardians of the herd!

 

A well-deserved retirement! What happens to our old horses? Those that are no longer working are placed with a farmer to manage the weeds in organic aromatic plant crops (lavender, fennel, oregano, etc.). It's great - it works really well and everyone's happy. It's a partnership that always looks after the well-being of our horses.

Nathalie, centauress and farrier. For the last 5 years, I've been shoeing my own horses to increase my independence and reduce my costs, thanks to my former farrier who taught me so much. I also like looking after my horses' feet, a moment of meditation...

 

Why help La Centaurée?

I've reached my capacity to invest further and borrowing again is out of the question. That's why I need your help to finish the project of setting up this new venue. The aim is for my project to be viable enough to be passed on in the future.

 

Why?

• To transform an arid area into pastureland: the new riding centre is located in a rocky area and the manure from the horses will change the structure of the soil, but this will take time...
• Killing two birds with one stone! To combine plant production - our olive trees - and livestock farming, as it was done in the past. Feeding the land and maintaining it with animals.
• Because the connection with animals is essential. Weaving a bond with this animal soothes and strengthens self-confidence. The riding centre business must continue, but in a different way, with less emphasis on sporting performance and more on respect for the individual and the environment.
• For the beauty and love of the horse!
• So that the myth of the Centaur becomes a reality for others by making itself known here and beyond

 

My needs

EUR 3,000: wood chip (locally produced) to cover the surface of a mini-paddock for Shetland pony lessons and a round pen for training free-roaming horses.

EUR 3,000: purchase of a second-hand shredder to maintain the land, as our shredder has reached the end of its life.

EUR 5,000: purchase of a second-hand 3,000 litre water tank on wheels to supply the horses with water, as not all the paddocks have water on site.

EUR 5,000: purchase of a second-hand round-baller to harvest the hay in large round bales.

 

My training

- BEPA caprin (Professional Agricultural Diploma in goat breeding and dairy production)

- ATE (Accompagnateur de Randonnée Equestre - Equestrian Trail Leader)

- BEES 1st degree (Brevet d'Educateur Sportif Activitées Equestres)

When you make a living from your passion, there are never enough hours in the day, and making your dreams come true is something I wish for everyone, especially my two sons, even if some years are hard...

 

Today, I'm 56 and still coming up with new ideas and new possibilities for La Centaurée.