Our Partner: L'Ecole des Chevaux

The centre was born in 2012 out of Sophie Daveau's desire to create a place to help horses and riders in need.

Dismayed by the fact that it was necessary to choose between punctual care offered by specialists at home or so-called "horse people" who re-educate behaviour, she then decided to give herself all necessary means to welcome horses by offering them the possibility of caring for their body, their feet, their relationship with Man and with riding in the same place.

Sophie is trained in ethology, biomechanics, osteopathy, physiotherapy, podiatry, posturology and nutrition, and she is also a riding instructor.

The horses she's trusted with, live in a species-appropriate space, managed in permaculture, allowing them to satisfy all the fundamental needs: to move freely, to seek and eat a natural and diversified food, to live with other horses.

On this essential basis, Sophie strives to establish a simple and positive relationship with the horses she receives. She takes care of all the daily tasks, which allow her to spend time with the horses, to observe them and to be known as a reassuring person.

She provides manual care, trims and insoles, and takes the horses out into the wild to regain their natural locomotion and motivation.

In-hand gymnastics are a daily practice for horses to gently reconnect with their bodies, but also with humans and sometimes with riding. This is a special for Sophie, who leads the horses gently, slowly and synchronically, without ever conditioning the horses to "ready-made" exercises.

In this continuity, Sophie offers horses also to be ridden when it is useful, based on the centring and fine motor skills of the rider, in order to communicate postures, movement sequences and gaits to the horses, without pulling on the reins or pushing with the pelvis or pressing with the feet. The objectives are simple, but the focus is on human skill and the quality of the horse's experience.

Psychologically and physically fragile horses have the opportunity to find comfort and meaning in their relationship with humans, with high quality care, sober interactions with humans, simple equipment adapted to each individual in the here and now.

The Ecole des Chevaux is also a training centre for professionals in the equine industry and for owners who wish to better understand the problems that horses experience and to help them with a global and fluid approach.

The Ecole des Chevaux - Sophie Daveau is located in Brittany, in the Morbihan region, in the commune of Ploerdut

Information by email at ecoledeschevaux@gmail.com or by phone at 06-61-81-69-89