Country Come to City

Each December, the French equestrian community convenes at the 220,000 square meter labyrinth that straddles the towns of Vanves, Issy-Les-Moulineaux and Paris (15^th) known as the Paris Expo - Porte de Versailles. It is only one of several expositions going on at any given time. It is the Salon du Cheval.

For those of you who don’t know, the salon is a very French activity. The French invented this type of socializing in the early 17^th century. It began in literary circles and was a way to come together to learn more about a particular topic. Historically French salons were about art, inventions and literature. Today we have them for everything—from chocolate and wine to weddings and babies. My favorite is the agricultural salon, held in February. No doubt you’ll hear me talk about that one in a few months.

The horse salon is great fun. It costs 12.50 euros to get in and you’ll want to linger for a few hours. The scents of horse hair and hay overtake you even before you walk through the main entrance.

There are three very different parts to the salon. First is the main reason why people go—the people who are involved (or whose kids are involved) in horse riding here. As an American, that means “English riding” to me. To the rest of the world, we’re the weird ones with our own form of riding—to the rest of the world, what we call English riding is the norm. All over the salon are tack stores selling bits, bridles, saddles, stirrups, boots and clothes. If you ride horses, this is the place to buy your stuff. Good quality saddle blankets at 10 euros a pop can’t be beat. Fine Italian leather riding boots for under 200 euros.

The second part of the Salon du Cheval is, of course, the horses. To inaugurate each year’s salon, Paris is treated to a parade of horses (le Défilé de Paris) that usually passes by the Eiffel Tower. The Salon has other horse shows throughout the week, including jumping and Arabian horse shows. The most celebrated show is the Nuit du Cheval, where you can watch horses display a wide array of talent, from comedy to dressage dancing. This year, the Nuit du Cheval show will take place this Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

The French Obsession with the Wild West

The third part of the Salon du Cheval is the Western corner. Fusing France’s intense love affair with all things from the American Wild West and all things horse, roughly one-third of the exposition is dedicated to cowboys and Indians. This part of the salon is even bathed in country music. This is by far the funnest part of the salon.

French people walk around in cowboy boots and ten-gallon hats. Leather jackets with les fringes and American flag bandanas. If you thought the Italian leather products in the normal riding section were expensive, then just wait until you see the prices of the American leather goods. Some items are within reach—we found a suede, fringed cowboy jacket for our son for 30 euros—but the 100 dollar cowboy boots you can get back home in Texas are 200 euros here (that’s a threefold difference).

In the Western section, there are plenty of Shetland ponies for you to pet and the kids to ride. There are two Indian teepees with “Indians” who will prepare your face for war with paint. The French movie, set in the American Wild West, Big City, sponsors the children’s village and there are lots of activities for kids to do, from drawing pictures of horses to riding horses.

The Western section has its own arena where you can watch French cowboys, complete with rodeo belt buckles, button-down shirts and beer guts (or at least wine guts), demonstrate how to ride and handle Appaloosas and quarter horses.

To see it for yourself, click on the video below.