Purchase of French sport horses for a Japanese client.
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You have probably heard this saying before : ‘Make your passion your work and you won’t have to work a day in your life.’ True, but not only is this rarely possible, but also one might wonder if a passion shouldn’t precisely remain that, a passion?
Horseriding and tokimeki
When passion and work come together, it can yield interesting results: the knowledge and skills acquired through passion can support professional projects. Why are we telling you this? Because that’s what happened in 2023 when Mathilde, passionate about horseriding since the age of 5, assisted in the purchase of sport horses for Japanese clients.
In Japan, the equestrian sports landscape is primarily centered around horse racing rather than athletic practice, which is much more widespread in Europe in particular.
That’s how in the summer of 2022, we were contacted to find dressage horses in France to bring back to Japan. Many amateur sport horses in Japan are purchased for dressage. That is why, Germany, often among the top rankings in dressage competitions, is favored for horse purchases.
Tour of France
But in France too, there are good stables specialized in dressage that produce good horses – for example Pamfou Dressage, the Ecuries d’Acot, or even Ecuries Marine Faust. That’s why tokimeki organized a little tour of France, going from Le Mans to Pau and also through Paris to find the perfect horses. For 5 days, we visited 10 stables to find the rare gems to bring back to the archipelago.
Unlike the usual practice for amateurs, which involves riding a horse several times before purchase, when it comes to a trip like this one, there’s only one trial. It’s imperative to conduct very precise scouting ahead of the trip to avoid wasting time or money.
Arrival in Japan
Once the horses are selected, the question arises of their repatriation to Japan. Sanitary standards, availability of cargo aircraft, transport providers… It is necessary to ensure the best possible coordination between all these elements so that the horses travel under the best conditions. We have managed to find the best partners in Europe and Japan to handle this part of the mission, ranging fom veterinary monitoring to road and air transport.
Today, having arrived safely in Japan, the two purchased horses are now competing with their new owners and the rider who accompanies them (Mikkuru Farm).
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