The Cadre Noir of Saumur the Ambassadors of French Riding
Famed throughout the world, the Cadre Noir (Black Squad) of Saumur is the keeper of an equestrian tradition that is an integral part of France’s cultural heritage. Its most noble mission: teaching.
By Jade Dalleau, journalist
Known as the Cadre Noir because of their uniform, the horsemen of Saumur are the guardians of the art of French horsemanship. Their dark clothing was adopted in the first half of the 19th century to distinguish them from other army instructors. Today, whether they are civilians or military, they are all dressed in black and gold during public performances. Their silhouettes cut a sharp figure, from the tops of their cocked hats to the heels of their polished boots. In the service of the "impulsion, grace and lightness" which are the characteristics of French equitation, they keep a light hand, an arched back and a steady leg.
The Cadre Noir of Saumur teaches the classical art of the haute école as it emerged in the 16th century in Italy before influencing the principles of European horsemanship. But the school at Saumur, which keeps alive the rules that have defined equestrian art since Antiquity (with the highly valued treatise of Xenophon), is also in a pure military tradition. Today it still passes on the precepts inherited from the greatest names of cavalry, such as General L’Hotte, Saumur’s most famous riding instructor, author of the famous precept on which modern horsemanship is based: "Calm, forward, straight and light".
It is at the end of the 16th century that King Henri IV gave his friend Duplessis-Mornay permission to found a Protestant university and an equestrian academy at Saumur. This was to mark the history of this peaceful and unobtrusive town on the banks of the Loire for four hundred years. In the 18th century, the royal Carabiniers Regiment was moved here. In the 19th century, the Cavalry School chose Saumur and set up a prestigious unit that soon became known by the name Cadre Noir. The main mission of its riders is to keep alive the principles of classical horsemanship through teaching and the demonstration of dressage lessons.
A specialist art which appeals to the general public
Before 1828, the date the first carousel1 was put on, the skilled horsemen of Saumur carried out their work in their big manege or ring beneath the exclusive gaze of their colleagues at the Cavalry School. After that date, they began to show off the excellence of their skills to the general public.
Since the 1990s, the traditional dressage lessons have been accompanied by major shows (with audiences of up to 40,000 spectators) during which the Saumur horsemen reveal, with power and grace, the rigour and precision of the figures of the "basse école" - the half-pass, changing the lead leg -, of the "haute école" - the passage, the piaffe - and, more spectacular still, "School jumps" (see box). Through these performances held in France and many other countries (Great-Britain, United Arab Emirates, Japan...), the Cadre Noir has now achieved the rank of exceptional ambassador of France’s art of horsemanship.
A training centre unique in the world
The Ecole Nationale d’Équitation (ENE)2 has been the special training ground of the Cadre Noir since 1972. Under the authority of the Ministry of Youth and Sport, this training centre is unique in the world. It caters for professionals from France and abroad and provides training that covers all equestrian disciplines: dressage, show jumping, team work...
Faithful to the motto of a famous Saumur riding instructor, Colonel Danloux: "Worship of tradition does not exclude a love of progress", the leading horseman of Saumur is always known as "Grand Dieu", his riders still wear the traditional dress, the horses (most of them of the "selle français" breed) sport ceremonial harnesses and amaranthine red saddles, but women are beginning to be admitted to the Cadre Noir (there are currently two horsewomen), which is moving with the times by being fittingly represented in national and international competitions of all fields.
From technique to art
Basse école: in basse école work, the horse is taken through all its natural gaits - the walk, the trot, the gallop -, with the highest degree of regularity. Like a dancer, the rider carries out "steps" according to precise rules. This highly codified art is based on exercises such as the "shoulder-in" or the "half-pass", which allows the horse to move sideways.
Haute école: having achieved the "collection" - in which the balance of the horse is worked on - and the impulsion, the experienced rider can demand a more stylised exercise such as the "passage", in the course of which the horse lifts its legs high whilst moving forward at a slow pace, which means it gains in height what it loses in forward movement.
School jumps: this dressage work is aimed at reproducing identically the jumps and kicks that the horse makes naturally when it is free, for example in a meadow. This dressage begins with the rider working on foot. He makes his horse work along the wall of a manege or between two pillars to perform the exercise. The horse learns to move its muscles to carry out airs on the spot. A "curvet" is where the horse lifts up its fore legs and supports itself on its hind legs. The reverse of this, the "croupade" is a kick in which the horse extends its hind legs fully and this requires careful balance of the forequarters. The "capriole", which can be done working the horse in hand or in the saddle, is without a doubt the most difficult jump: the horse leaves the ground entirely to make a kick with its hind legs straight. This is great art, as impressive as a classical dancer doing the split.
Article Courtesy of: French Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Jade Dalleau, journalist
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