Moving to Limousin France - anyone else there? Enjoy Competing?

[Rollin]

Thanks Rollin, it is nice to know that I can compete, if I can't use my mare I may consider buying another horse in France, as I enjoy competitions just to keep me on my toes, to be honest 1.05/1.10 is plenty nowadays for me!!

I have had a look at the FFE site, so I presume when I have registered with a club I can then use it????

If you plan to compete, yes get a licence via a local club, which also gives you public liability insurance. We have 15 horses, so actually our public liability insurance is via our Farm insurance. I gave up trying to find decent insurance for death and straying so continue to insure for these via Carriage House, in the UK, the only insurer I could find who would cover me in France. Pleased to have it when a mare died from colic.

ALL horses who reside in France MUST be registered on SIRE, that is the national equine database. I am ashamed to say that lots of ex-pats ignore this law. Problems may occur if you need vet treatement or lab tests when the
lab may refuse to process without a SIRE number. You cannot breed from, sell or compete with a horse which is not registered on SIRE.

Three types of registration in France. ONC - Origin Unknown. OC - Origin Known, e.g. sire and dam are known but perhaps the sire is not an 'approved stallion'. All competitions in France are open to OC horses.

Cheval de Sport, de sang. These are horses registered with stud books. All competitions are open to them but breeding opportunities are more limited.

ONC horses can compete in Le Trec, Western and I think Club endurance.

To register in France, your vet must come and check the passport and m/chip and send your passport, plus registration documents to the National Stud. Your passport will be overstamped with a SIRE number.

 

[sunnyone]

Re: getting a number plate for a trailer.
The process is not as simple as filling in a form and then going to the DREAL.
What you are really doing is applying for a log book to show that you own the trailer or vehicle, the number plate is an incidental.
To apply for your log book now called certificat d'immatriculation but aka carte grise, you get together the paperwork, as others have said, and then take the papers along to either the prefecture (your case) or the sous-prefecture office. Check before you go for opening times as they seem to close well before noon and five o'clock. If the fonctionnaire is happy, and you pay the registration fee at the cash desk, the documents will be retained and, if necessary, an appointment made for you at the DREAL where the vehicle is inspected.
The inspection is no big deal, more a plating label checking exercise than anything else. Takes about 10 mins for the man to fill out the papers. Generally you would only have to go through a second inspection if the photos you send to the inspector after any rectifications have been made are inadequate.
This link should get you started: http://www.haute-vienne.gouv.fr/Demarches-administratives/Cartes-grises#N367
Once you have the carte grise, you could sell the vehicle on. If you do the new owner will be assigned a new number plate number.
Also do not forget that a trailer requires insuring separately from your tow vehicle. The insurance company will issue you with a sticker for the windscreen of your tow car. The gendarmes can spot missing stickers as easily as UK police could spot a missing tax disk.
Like everything else the process is daunting the first time you do it but gets easier next time around.

 

[Annagain]

Not got anything useful to add, but all this brings back memories of living in France for a year as a student. The bureaucracy is bonkers! I remember needing a "Carte de Sejour" to open a bank account, but not being able to get a "Carte de Sejour" unless I could prove I had enough money to live on - for which I needed a bank account! The really ironic thing was, the only reason I had to have a French bank account was so THEY could give ME money (for an accommodation subsidy which all students get) so I had to prove I had money for them to give me money!

 

[Woody Le Bois]

Thanks so much Woody. How are you finding the level 7 to learn? Are you in/near Limousin?

Hello!!
I am based in Lyon, Rhone Alpes so quite far from Limousine.

I am using an official handbook for the theory part of Galop 7 ("Cavalier. Manuel de Préparation aux Examens Fédéraux 5,6,7). You can buy it either online, or in any tack shop (even at Decathlon). I find it quite easy, it is basic horse care, management and knowledge of equine biology and digestion. The thing I found most difficult about it was learning all those things in French, not the content itself.

For the practical part, you have to do a dressage test, we are doing the Reprise de Dressage Galop 7 (can be found on FFE website). For the XC the max height of the obstacles is 90 cm and for the show jumping-1m. I find it pretty straigh foreward, so I am sure you will too.

One thing I think is worth mentioning is that once you have passed your Galop 7, you no will no longer be able to compete in Club competitions. This is the reason I am passing my Galop 7 now, as I have two youngsters and wanted to take them around the easier Club courses, rather then jumping straight into Amateurs (the smaller Amateur classes are few and far between in Rhone Alpes for some reason).

Shout if you need any more help

Woody

 

[jhambie]

Re: getting a number plate for a trailer.
The process is not as simple as filling in a form and then going to the DREAL.
What you are really doing is applying for a log book to show that you own the trailer or vehicle, the number plate is an incidental.
To apply for your log book now called certificat d'immatriculation but aka carte grise, you get together the paperwork, as others have said, and then take the papers along to either the prefecture (your case) or the sous-prefecture office. Check before you go for opening times as they seem to close well before noon and five o'clock. If the fonctionnaire is happy, and you pay the registration fee at the cash desk, the documents will be retained and, if necessary, an appointment made for you at the DREAL where the vehicle is inspected.
The inspection is no big deal, more a plating label checking exercise than anything else. Takes about 10 mins for the man to fill out the papers. Generally you would only have to go through a second inspection if the photos you send to the inspector after any rectifications have been made are inadequate.
This link should get you started: http://www.haute-vienne.gouv.fr/Demarches-administratives/Cartes-grises#N367
Once you have the carte grise, you could sell the vehicle on. If you do the new owner will be assigned a new number plate number.
Also do not forget that a trailer requires insuring separately from your tow vehicle. The insurance company will issue you with a sticker for the windscreen of your tow car. The gendarmes can spot missing stickers as easily as UK police could spot a missing tax disk.
Like everything else the process is daunting the first time you do it but gets easier next time around.

Thank you so much for the detail, it will help us enormously!

 

[jhambie]

Hello!!
I am based in Lyon, Rhone Alpes so quite far from Limousine.

I am using an official handbook for the theory part of Galop 7 ("Cavalier. Manuel de Préparation aux Examens Fédéraux 5,6,7). You can buy it either online, or in any tack shop (even at Decathlon). I find it quite easy, it is basic horse care, management and knowledge of equine biology and digestion. The thing I found most difficult about it was learning all those things in French, not the content itself.

For the practical part, you have to do a dressage test, we are doing the Reprise de Dressage Galop 7 (can be found on FFE website). For the XC the max height of the obstacles is 90 cm and for the show jumping-1m. I find it pretty straigh foreward, so I am sure you will too.

One thing I think is worth mentioning is that once you have passed your Galop 7, you no will no longer be able to compete in Club competitions. This is the reason I am passing my Galop 7 now, as I have two youngsters and wanted to take them around the easier Club courses, rather then jumping straight into Amateurs (the smaller Amateur classes are few and far between in Rhone Alpes for some reason).

Shout if you need any more help

Woody

Thank you for all the information Woody. Can I just check - if I do Galop 7, does this mean I cannot compete at Club level, but go into Amateurs? As my mare has no breeding I do not think I can do anything more than club, just wanted to make sure my thinking is correct. Do I need Galops to compete at club level, if not this is the stage I may stay at?

I am concerned re. learning enough French terms to understand the tests, although I have recently been recommended a good book for horse terms that are used in racing stables with the non English speaking staff, so hopefully will get better slowly!

Could I also ask a quick question re. dressage? I have done a little prelim and tests for BE100 eventing, what are the dressage tests like in France for this level (club).

Many thanks again for all your time, knowledge and effort.

 

[jhambie]

Thankfully Annagain, we have opened our Bank accounts, so one complication out of the way!!

 

[jhambie]

If you plan to compete, yes get a licence via a local club, which also gives you public liability insurance. We have 15 horses, so actually our public liability insurance is via our Farm insurance. I gave up trying to find decent insurance for death and straying so continue to insure for these via Carriage House, in the UK, the only insurer I could find who would cover me in France. Pleased to have it when a mare died from colic.

ALL horses who reside in France MUST be registered on SIRE, that is the national equine database. I am ashamed to say that lots of ex-pats ignore this law. Problems may occur if you need vet treatement or lab tests when the
lab may refuse to process without a SIRE number. You cannot breed from, sell or compete with a horse which is not registered on SIRE.

Three types of registration in France. ONC - Origin Unknown. OC - Origin Known, e.g. sire and dam are known but perhaps the sire is not an 'approved stallion'. All competitions in France are open to OC horses.

Cheval de Sport, de sang. These are horses registered with stud books. All competitions are open to them but breeding opportunities are more limited.

ONC horses can compete in Le Trec, Western and I think Club endurance.

To register in France, your vet must come and check the passport and m/chip and send your passport, plus registration documents to the National Stud. Your passport will be overstamped with a SIRE number.

Many thanks for this, I have started looking at the procedure for the SIRE number, but I am concerned about my ONC horses, but the information you have shared is really helpful, again I think I can compete dressage/SJ at club level with ONC horses, I don't do Le Trec or western unfortunately.

Another question, I am concerned about sending passports off in case they get lost/mislaid, did you find that everything was returned safely?

Thank you again.

 

[jhambie]

From experience I noted that people really underestimated just how cold and snowy the limousine can be, we were an hour north of Limoges and the difference in weather was huge, days of -16 were not uncommon for our friends in limousine in the depths of winter. I'm told it's the reason it is not very popular with the french.

We ended up heading further south to Bordeaux area, there the problems were not much grass in summer and terrible flies, we ended up riding at 6am in the summer just to keep out of the way of the swarms of horseflies. Avoiding the hunters was also a reason to ride early.

All that said I enjoyed my time there although there was very little in the way of competitions around at that time.

Thanks Polly, I am an early morning rider so 6am in the summer would be wonderful. We are prepared for the cold winters, apparently it went down to -16 in our area a couple of years ago as you mentioned too!

 

[jhambie]

Here's another website for you. http://dordogne.angloinfo.com/

What's wrong with Shropshire that we are all leaving - other than the 50 mph winds today of course!

I love Shropshire, but full time work to pay the mortgage is a daily grind. We are keeping our lovely Shropshire home and renting it so we will not be gone forever!!!

Many thanks for the website!

 

[Palindrome]

Another question, I am concerned about sending passports off in case they get lost/mislaid, did you find that everything was returned safely?

A good practice is to always send official mail: "recommandé avec accusé de reception", this is similar to signed for/special delivery and will provide you with some protection if the company or administrative service say they haven't received your letter.
We personally got the passports returned no problems but it's always good to be on the safe side. I also tend to take a few quick pictures with the camera phone or make a photocopy of the document before sending, just in case.

 

[jhambie]

Thanks Palindrome. I think photocopies is a good idea just in case. Thanks for your help and advice.

 

[Rollin]

My last stable jockey had Gallop 7 and competed at Club level in both SJ and endurance. He then changed to Amateur just for endurance, not SJ, so he could move up to 90kms.

 

[Nakipa]

Just to let you know that all dressage tests, no matter what level ie Club 4 or 3 which are the very lowest level test you can find, are all done in sitting trot. Even with young horses all sitting trot! But don't worry because you are permitted to use a degogue!!!

I am in the Dordogne near Brantome and we often travel up into the Limousin to compete.

 

[Casey76]

Also, with dressage you are not allowed a schooling whip in the test arena (but are in the warm up).

 

[jhambie]

Also, with dressage you are not allowed a schooling whip in the test arena (but are in the warm up).

Thanks for the information. Is the dress code the same as BD (e.g. gloves required), and things such as no bandages/boots etc the same too?

Many thanks

 

[jhambie]

Just to let you know that all dressage tests, no matter what level ie Club 4 or 3 which are the very lowest level test you can find, are all done in sitting trot. Even with young horses all sitting trot! But don't worry because you are permitted to use a degogue!!!

I am in the Dordogne near Brantome and we often travel up into the Limousin to compete.

Gosh, I didn't know so thank you for that. Where do you compete when you come to Limousin?

 

[Nakipa]

The rules are the same regarding attire although at the very low levels ie club 4 and 3 no one seems to take much notice and it can be more like a fashion show. I always wear the correct stuff.
Boots and bandage rules are the same, not permitted. Spurs and degogues are permitted.

I did a Dressage competiton last weekend and had to perform a test meant for a 20 x 60 arena in a 20 x 40. Not too bad but there was a 4 loop serpentine involved and my not very experienced horse really struggled with the 10m half circles. No one bats an eyelid though! It was a bit like doing dressage in fast forward!

https://www.telemat.org/FFE/sif/-
I hope you can see this link. If you click on the highlighted dates then it will show you which competitions and where in the Limousin they are. You can click on the drop down boxes for Disciplines and be a bit more selective. It is very easy to use.

If you go to the FFE site and click on the bar near the top saying Disciplines then that will take you to the page for your sport and when you look down the list you will see one called Reglement. If you click on that you can down load it and it will show you all the rules for which ever discipline you have chosen.

 

[jhambie]

The rules are the same regarding attire although at the very low levels ie club 4 and 3 no one seems to take much notice and it can be more like a fashion show. I always wear the correct stuff.
Boots and bandage rules are the same, not permitted. Spurs and degogues are permitted.

I did a Dressage competiton last weekend and had to perform a test meant for a 20 x 60 arena in a 20 x 40. Not too bad but there was a 4 loop serpentine involved and my not very experienced horse really struggled with the 10m half circles. No one bats an eyelid though! It was a bit like doing dressage in fast forward!

https://www.telemat.org/FFE/sif/-
I hope you can see this link. If you click on the highlighted dates then it will show you which competitions and where in the Limousin they are. You can click on the drop down boxes for Disciplines and be a bit more selective. It is very easy to use.

If you go to the FFE site and click on the bar near the top saying Disciplines then that will take you to the page for your sport and when you look down the list you will see one called Reglement. If you click on that you can down load it and it will show you all the rules for which ever discipline you have chosen.

Thanks Nakipa, that is really helpful and thanks also for the link. It all seems very organised in France!