Peaceful Yvelines
The Yvelines, equestrian capital
Equestrian land par excellence, the Yvelines welcomes riders of all ages all year round for sport or leisure. Its many stud farms, equestrian centres and natural areas will delight horse-riding enthusiasts and Olympic athletes alike.
The Yvelines region has a long tradition of horse-riding, inherited from the hunting with hounds in the state forests of Marly, Saint-Germain and Rambouillet, which in the 17th century were visited by kings, queens and their courts, such as the Duchesse d’Uzès. Three hundred years later, the Département perpetuates this equestrian culture through its 200 riding schools, stables and racecourses.
Rich in forests and plains, the area is a delight for riders and their mounts, with 450 km of riding trails. This exceptional setting is structured around eight major loops, circuits with orange markers registered with the PDIPR (Plan Départemental des Itinéraires de Promenades et de Randonnée). These include:
The Yvelines on the trail of equestrian tourism
Explore the Yvelines region to the sound of your horse’s hooves, either by renting a horse from a dedicated riding school, or by riding your own horse. Equestrian tourism allows you to observe and appreciate the landscape at a speed of 5 to 8km/h, as close as possible to stud farms, forests and tourist sites of interest. For several days’ touring, there are special facilities for horses along the equestrian loops. As the pinnacle of equestrian tourism in the Yvelines, in 2019 the Haras des Bréviaires hosted Equirando, Europe’s largest gathering of equestrian tourism, bringing together 1,000 riders and 700 horses for three days of horse-trekking activities.
To combine history and nature, take the European d’Artagnan route on horseback or by carriage, following in the footsteps of the famous musketeer who roamed Europe on horseback in the service of King Louis XIV. This route, specially designed for riders, links Lupiac in Gascony to Maastricht in the Netherlands, via the Yvelines region (more info here).
Last but not least, the Département will soon be crossed by the Tour d’île de France on horseback, a 120 km route around the Paris ring road, from Saint-Arnoult in the south to Gommecourt in the north. According to Anna Geist, equestrian tourism coordinator at the Comité départemental d’équitation des Yvelines, this future equestrian route, currently in the planning stage, aims to promote the existence of equestrian activity in rural and green tourism.
A thriving sports scene
With over 21,000 members in its 200 riding schools, the Yvelines is the region’s leading equestrian Département and France’s second largest in terms of the number of riders. The Département also hosts numerous competitions every year: Show jumping, CCE, dressage, TREC, such as the Jumping International du Château de Versailles in 2017.
Today, you can still enjoy horse racing at the legendary Maisons-Laffitte and Rambouillet racecourses, which have been welcoming jockeys and their mounts for over 100 years. The racecourse is also a pleasant place to stroll and enjoy leisure activities, while staying as close as possible to the horses..
While the Yvelines may not match its neighbour Lower Normandy in terms of breeding and dressage, horse-riding remains highly developed, welcoming top-level professional riders every year. In this respect, before the Covid crisis, the Maisons-Laffitte racehorse training centre welcomed 80% of its riders and horses from abroad.
Versailles, future horse capital of the Olympic Games
In 2024, riders from all over the world will be heading for the Yvelines, and at full speed! Versailles, in the heart of the Château’s grounds, will be the venue for show jumping, dressage and eventing at the Olympic Games.
“Versailles is a magical place to host the Olympics, because it’s something of an equestrian capital,” explained Phillipe Rozier, gold medal-winning rider at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Indeed, the royal town has a long-standing equestrian tradition, as witnessed by the Great and Small Stables created under Louis XIV, where visitors can today attend equestrian shows put on by the Equestrian Academy of Versailles.
Hosting the Games will contribute to the international reputation of the Yvelines’ equestrian centres, which have been working as training centres since 2022. They confirm that the Yvelines is a true equestrian land, devoted today to the practice of horsemanship… It’s galloping!