Paris1972-Versailles2003

I have passed many times in my road warrior trails ,and finally had stopped by a while ago. I found these pictures in my cd rom vault and they should be in my blog for you and me,  So much beauty to see in my belle France,  and we have just touch the surface on things to see, really. This is off the beaten path alleys in countryside Normandy and glad to have it here, Therefore, here is my take on the Haras National du Pin !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The village of Le Pin-au-Haras is located in the départment of Orne no 61 in the Normandie region of my belle France, The Haras national du Pin is situated in the village of Le Pin-au-Haras located on the D926, 159 km from Versailles, 42 km from Alençon, 14 km from Argentan , 20 km from the A28 autoroute exit/sortie 16 Gacé-Exmes. 12 km from the exit at Mortrée on the A88 autoroute, take the D16: Médavy, Almenêches, take the D26: La Cochère, Le Pin au Haras. The Haras National du Pin is accessible from Paris by the autoroute de Normandie A13 then A28, exit Mortagne au Perch, Sées and take direction Lisieux-Rouen-Le Havre-Chailloué at the roundabout to Nonant-Le-Pin then direction Le Pin-au-Haras. It is, also, 300 km from my current home.

As its name suggests, the village has been home to the Haras National du Pin since the beginning of the 18C. The stud farm’s grounds also extend over the neighbouring villages of Exmes, La Cochère, Silly-en-Gouffern and Ginai. The Haras National du Pin is the oldest of the French national stud farms. The stud farm (haras) welcomes several tens of thousands of visitors every year. It offers guided tours of the Pin national stud farm, tours of the Château du Haras as well as themed tours such as saddlery, farriery, equine reproduction, etc. A visit to the discovery trail of stable no. 1 (horse museum) is possible all year round.

The castle is composed of three main buildings punctuated by the alignment of tall windows. It is made of gray limestone and the roof is covered with slates. The stables are made of red bricks. They are built in front of the north facade and form a horseshoe. The courtyard, called cour Colbert, is closed by a wrought iron gate. It opens outside onto Avenue Louis XIV which is pierced through the forest and slopes gently towards the north. Two other paths radiate from the gate. The south facade overlooks French gardens. Four tapestries illustrating the story of Renaud and Armide are hung in the large living room on the ground floor of the castle, The Haras National du Pin has been called the Versailles du Cheval (of the horse).

A bit of history tell us that in 1665, Colbert created, under Louis XIV, the administration of the royal stud farms in order to alleviate the shortage of horses that the kingdom had to face while improving French horse breeds. The site was chosen in 1714, for the quality of its pastures and the water supply facilities made the Buisson d’Exmes estate the perfect place. On April 2, 1715, the transfer of the former royal stud farm of Saint-Léger to Buisson d’Exmes was ordered. Several transfers took place shortly afterwards, bringing the total area of ​​the estate to 1,100 hectares. The first stables were built from 1715 and the first stallions arrived in 1717. The classical architectural style corresponds to that of the stables of Versailles. The current buildings (stables and château) were built during the reign of Louis XV, between 1715 and 1730. The château’s terraces are designed in the tradition of French gardens.

After some bad events in history the stud farm functions were not re-established until the First Empire, in 1810. Napoleon made the stud farm one of the main breeding centers. The École des Haras was founded in 1840, In the 19C, the Haras du Pin played a major role in horse breeding in France by introducing English thoroughbreds to the territory, by creating the French trotter breed and, more generally, by improving racehorses. It specialised in the production of harnessed and ridden racehorses, with Arabian or English blood. It trained horses suitable for trotting, of the Hackney or Norfolk breed. At the same time, a racecourse was built on the site. The stud farm was occupied by the Prussians in 1871, then by the Nazis between June 1940 and June 1941. It then found itself at the heart of the site of the Battle of Normandy, near Falaise, without having suffered any damage.

The change within the Haras National du Pin came at the end of 2013, when the reproduction mission, the core of their business, was transferred to the private sector. However, the Haras had maintained the reproduction activity thanks to a private breeders’ cooperative, the SCIC (société coopérative d’intérêt collectif) bringing together private breeders. It ceased all reproduction activity in 2017. The stud farm therefore separated from the property to be jointly managed by the Orne department, the Normandie region and the State. The estate is occupied by the EPA Haras national du Pin, the IFCE, the ONF (National Forestry Office) and the INRA (National Institute for Agronomic Research) with an experimental farm with more than a thousand cattle. On February 21, 2021, the law provides that the Haras National du Pin will be dissolved. All assets, rights and obligations will be transferred to the Orne department and made available to the French Institute of Horses and Riding and to the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment.

Other things to see here are the Courgelon or Courgeron Manor from the 15C, The Vieux-Pin presbytery, from the 17C, and the Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption Church, from the end of the 19C.

A bit of history on the village tell us that the lords of Le Pin who appear frequently in medieval written sources and notably in the Historia ecclesiastica of Orderic Vital, probably come from the current village of Le Pin, department no 14 of Calvados, rather than from Le Pin-au-Haras.

The official Haras National du Pin : https://www.haras-national-du-pin.com/en/

The official L’Institut français du cheval et de l’équitation (IFCE) on the Haras National du Pin : https://www.ifce.fr/haras-nationaux/nos-sites/haras-national-du-pin/

The Orne dept 61 tourist office on the Haras National du Pin : https://www.orne-normandy-travel.co.uk/visits-leisure/haras-national-du-pin/

The Normandie region tourist office on the Haras National du Pin : https://www.normandie-tourisme.fr/sites-lieux-de-visites/haras-national-du-pin/

There you go folks, a nice summary of what is best about the wonderful stud farm. The off the beaten beauty of wonderful Normandy and worth the detour indeed. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Haras National du Pin !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!