Haras Picard Du Sant - Ariege Pyrenees - Tina Thuell Photography

Haras Picard Du Sant - Ariege Pyrenees

In June 2012, after a week in Condom, France, My good friend Sue Ratclife and I travelled into the heart of the Pyeneese Mountains where we spent three glorious days at Haras Picard Du Sant with Jean Louis and his wife Christine at their wonderful farm. The highlight of our time there was the day he took us high into the Pyrenees Mts. to check on his herd of Merens horses that are turned out for 5 months of the year. This collection of images is the story of that day.

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In June 2012, after a week in Condom, France, My good friend Sue Ratclife and I travelled into the heart of the Pyeneese Mountains where we spent three glorious days at Haras Picard Du Sant with Jean Louis and his wife Christine at their wonderful farm. The highlight of our time there was the day he took us high into the Pyrenees Mts. to check on his herd of Merens horses that are turned out for 5 months of the year. This collection of images is the story of that day.

Merens Horses france Haras Picard Du Sant Lasserre Ariege Pyrenees.

Tina Thuell Photography
on March 3, 2013
These are all great questions SAB and I will try and answer them all as best I can. Firstly, the horses were grazing on Gvt. land which is set aside for this exacat purpose. The purpose of the turning them all out for the entire summer is to allow the breed to develop naturally, within what was their natural enviroment so that as they mature, they do so the sameway they have done for generations. This is a hard working breed, known for their stamina and surefootedness while traversing the Mountains. The only way for these horses to develop the way the breed is meant to be is to live in the Mountains on the slopes so they mature properly. He brought 4 adult horses back to the farm for use in a workshop with clients. His horses, once they come of age, are trained using gentle natural horsemanshiop menthods similar to Parelli style. I hope this helps.