Profi le

EMBRACING NEW challenges

NEWLY CROWNED LEMIEUX NATIONAL CHAMPION EMILE FAURIE IS DEVELOPING AN EXCITING STABLE OF YOUNG HORSES WHILE TRAINING TALENTED RIDERS OUT FOR SUCCESS IN THE SPORT. JANE CARLEY HEARS ABOUT HIS PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. With a CV that includes World and European Championship medals, representing Great Britain at two Olympic Games, three national Grand Prix championships including the 2021 LeMieux title, and coaching the Finland team for the 2016 Olympics, Emile Faurie still retains his passion and enthusiasm for the sport. “We’ve got 34 horses in, and a number of riders from countries

LEFT: EMILE AT HOME - ‘THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD’ WITH THEODORA LIVANOS’S ROBINVALE AND NESSA ‘THE BOSS’.

RIGHT: EMILE IS TRAINING A TEAM OF

TALENTED YOUNG HORSES INCLUDING

(RIGHT) FIVE-YEAR-OLD MARGOT WITH HEAD RIDER TOM GOODE AND (BELOW) ICELAND GIRL, DESCRIBED AS ‘THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY FOUR-YEAR-OLD’.

including Germany, Greece, the USA and Taiwan based here in Oxfordshire, so it’s as busy as ever,” he smiles. mile rides four or fi ve horses a day before spending the afternoon teaching at home for most of the week, with two days dedicated to outside lessons.

“My focus this year has been the development of our stable horses with Tom (Goode, head rider since 2011). He’s been very lucky to have some wonderful horses to ride in the last fi ve years, but they were all owned by dealers to be sold on. Now we’ve got a group of owners who have invested in some incredible horses. invested in some incredible horses. hey are younger four, fi ve and six-year-olds, but they are not for sale, six-year-olds, but they are not for sale, they’re not going to be pulled out from they’re not going to be pulled out from underneath him.”

“Richard Jackson owns Fürstenrausch, a “Richard Jackson owns Fürstenrausch, a six-year-old that we found for him, and he’ll be six-year-old that we found for him, and he’ll be aimed for the seven-year-old classes at the World Breeding aimed for the seven-year-old classes at the World Breeding Championships if he’s ready.”

“There’s Iceland Girl, the most extraordinary four-year-old by the champion stallion Ierland out of a Londonderry mare and Total mpact, a fi ve year old y op ear

Second rider, Christian Lovell, described by Emile as ‘a really talented young guy’ will ride Total Impact through novice classes, part of his programme to help riders as well as horses to develop.

“As well as the horses that we are going to compete through their careers, we’ve also got a number of young horses for sale, all top quality, with really good breeding,” he comments.

The line-up for Emile includes Shilo (Sir Oldenburg), and another Grand Prix horse. Tom is campaigning Dior, who he has trained from a four-year-old to Grand Prix level. They will be restarting their international tour next year after being placed in the Le Mans CDI in October.

One challenge that he notes is the small pool of both competitors and udges compared to the amount of fi tures, which can result in horses coming in front of the same judge week after week. week after week. “It’s something we need to look at. I would prefer to go to a show at. I would prefer to go to a show and there be 20 in the class and and there be 20 in the class and that judges rotate so they are not that judges rotate so they are not getting to know riders and horses getting to know riders and horses and looking for something before and looking for something before it has happened. It’s always good to it has happened. It’s always good to have fresh eyes.” have fresh eyes.” As an example, Emile explains: “At As an example, Emile explains: “At the Covid-safe elite training sessions the Covid-safe elite training sessions organised during lockdown, Stephen organised during lockdown, Stephen Clarke made a comment on one of my test Clarke made a comment on one of my test sheets that made me change my half passes so sheets that made me change my half passes so that I’ve gone from consistently getting a seven to that I’ve gone from consistently getting a seven to getting eight and 8.5, or even at the last international a nine.” getting eight and 8.5, or even at the last international a nine.”

Most of the young horses are sourced from Germany, and Emile says that ‘a good horse is a good horse regardless of its breeding’. e points out that the fi rst thing he looks for is a good temperament ’ve spent so many years working with di cult horses, ecause that was all I had, so rideability and temperament is the most important thing for me, together with an athletic body.” e e pands on this he fi rst thing do is look to see how they use their body and if they’ve got a nice natural balance and natural uphill way of going. Even in a three-year-old that you watch loose, I still want to see that natural balance and way of moving. I like horses that have natural cadence, because I think it makes life so much easier when you are training them than when you have a horse with a tremendous amount of knee action that doesn’t necessarily follow through in the body. You then have to create cadence.

“We all want a beautiful front leg but with that natural cadence, they don’t have to work so hard to develop it and you don’t have to train them as much for the piaff e and the passage later on

ut he adds that looks and movement also have an infl uence t the end of the day when you come down the centre line with a really eautiful horse, it helps e also have to diff erentiate etween what is fl ashy and what is good movement fl ashy is good if it’s through the ody, with a certain amount of self carriage and alance that’s what we want he danger is if horses are consistently moving too ig when they are young, ut that’s less a out the horse and more a out the training and riding f a horse has naturally good paces like our four year old mare, we don’t ride her daily to the full e tent of her movement he works three days a week, and may e once every three weeks we’ll ask for a it more mile comments that the process of training a grand pri horse is actually a out making them strong he stronger they are the less in uries they will have o their asic training as a young horse has to e that asic training, rather than making them move like a grand pri horse e took the ride ack on ono i aggio, on which he won ron e at the orld uestrian ames, while owner heodora ivanos was recovering from surgery he reek young rider, who had achieved ualifying scores for the okyo lympics in her fi rst season at rand ri mile was su se uently shortlisted for the ritish team with ono’ is now ack in action and will take up the reins once again heo’s second rand ri ride o invale, also ased with mile, is now on the market as she is com ining competing with her university studies, while the goal with ono i aggio is the orld hampionships in enmark ne t ugust ith a num er of talented young riders under his wing, mile admits that in the past he has advised them to get a o outside horses to e a le to fund their passion lot of young riders have to rely on the support of parents or personal contacts ut the fi rst advice would give someone is to

LEFT: EMILE WITH FÜRSTENRAUSCH, BEING AIMED AT THE SEVEN-YEAR-OLD WORLD BREEDING CHAMPIONSHIPS.

ecome in control of your own destiny it’s something wish had done eople’s circumstances can also change and you can fi nd that you’ve poured everything into a couple of horses, and then they are gone y advice to anyone wanting a career in this industry is to put yourself in a position where you can e fi nancially independent, and to start with young horses here is a tendency of people wanting to uy trained horses instead, uy a young horse and get a good trainer mile represented several high profi le continental producers in recent years ut now looks to produce his own young horses for his loyal and of owners ’ve got a yard full of lovely horses and great people so want to concentrate on what we’ve got here fter such a long and successful career, he says that the love of the o is what keeps him motivated ith some e citing youngsters in the yard there’s clearly lots more to come

BELOW: THE TOP TEAM: EMILE WITH TOM GOODE AND PA/YARD MANAGER KELLY LAINSBURY.

“It was very nice to win the national title again and I suppose it proves my resilience, that I’m still doing it and getting so much pleasure out of it. I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world, I live in the most beautiful place on earth as far as I’m concerned and I love riding and teaching, so that’s what keeps me motivated.”

SHARING THE LOVE OF HORSES

The Emile Faurie Foundation was set up in 2006 to show children how en oya le and fulfi lling e uine sport and careers can e, and to help them follow their dreams - developing personal and social skills along the way.

Schools can send groups of 10 or 12 children each week during term-time, for a course of lessons at selected BHS approved riding establishments. These courses cover the care of the animals, as well as riding instruction and an introduction to the variety of competitive sports involving horses.

Emile comments that like other charitable organisations, the Foundation has had a devastating year due to the pandemic.

“We’re totally reliant on donations and there is only Maryanne Horn and myself in charge of raising the funds. We were quite lucky that we had received a donation from Walkers Crisps the previous year, plus £5000 from the Dressage Supporters Club, so had built up a reserve.”

During lockdown, the closure of riding schools cut outgoings, but fundraising for the various projects remains a challenge.

“We could have helped 17,000 children to ride if we had the funds, but 12,000 have done the courses so far, we’re still there 15 years later and it’s a great leveller to see the eff ect it has on these children

Emile says that while the slogan – ‘horses change lives’ may seem over-dramatic, they have changed his life.

“I went to a riding school where the proprietor taught me so much, to respect horses, look after them and nurture them, but more than anything the riding school environment was my outlet, as I’m a reserved person who has always been extremely shy.”

He expresses concern that riding schools in the UK are closing down one after the other, due to running costs.

“The government refuses to give leeway on business rates for riding schools, and with the pandemic it was devastating to see how many closed. When you think of the amount of top riders that started out in riding schools, I wish more would support them to get something done about business rates. We must get behind them or they will die out altogether.” Emile says that the sport is even more important for the inner-city children that the foundation supports. “We need to be so careful not to kill the culture of developing not just competition riders that have the fi nancial acking to set up their own yard, but people who learn the mechanics of how to look after a horse and become part of its life.” Several former pupils are now working with horses, including one as a professional jockey and another as head girl at the equestrian centre where she started riding.

ABOVE: THE EMILE FAURIE FOUNDATION

INTRODUCES CHILDREN - OFTEN FROM INNER-CITY

AREAS - TO RIDING AND CARING FOR HORSES.

LEFT: EMILE SAYS THAT BEING AROUND HORSES

WAS AN OUTLET FOR HIM AS A SHY, RESERVED

TEENAGER, SOMETHING HE WISHES TO SHARE WITH OTHERS.

Bijou Long Coat

The long jacket has two zippers on the sides, suitable for riding, with warmth regulating down fi lling (80% down, 20% feather) for thermal insulation. The outside is water-repellent and it features a twoway zipper with a Cavallo jewelry handle. The hood can be fi xed on the back and is removable with a zipper. The zip features a large Cavallo print on the collar. RRP £265.00 • Available in sizes 34-46

Lin Grip Leggings

These riding tights are extremely comfortable, with many lovingly designed details. The seam is extremely fl at due to the fl atlock stitching to help comfort, along with a wide waistband to create a perfect fi t. There are two lateral mobile phone pockets and a high grade shiny Cavallo badge, and an elaborate zip pocket on the waistband. RRP £111 • Available in graphite, rubin, black and dark blue. Bree Oversized Sweater

A casual oversized faux fur jacket with large hood. The inside it is soft and fl uffy, with a two-way front zipper featuring a Cavallo handle with crystals. There are two spacious front pockets, a small Cavallo metal logo on the left front pocket, a large, tonal Cavallo embroidery with a silver shimmering edging on the left sleeve, with a soft jersey lining in the hood. RRP £105 • Available in grey and rose

Briita Gilet

A modern, padded, quilted waistcoat featuring a light, heat-insulating fi lling in a fashonable check lining. There is a twoway zip covered by a fl ap with two front pockets with zippers and refl ex inserts. Subtle silver lettering on the chest and a slight waist gives the vest a feminine shape, and a chest yolk is provided with a woven ribbon in contrasting colour. RRP £109 • Available in dark blue, rubin, cypress and dust blue

Simo Long Socks

A long sock style specifi cally designed for comfort in the riding boot – padded at the foot for superb feel and comfort in your riding boots all day long. The handlinked comfort in your riding boots all day long. The handlinked toe offers durability whilst the extra thin shaft of the sock toe offers durability whilst the extra thin shaft of the sock feels virtually invisible inside your riding boots and they feels virtually invisible inside your riding boots and they are fi nished with a contrast Cavallo logo to the shaft of the are fi nished with a contrast Cavallo logo to the shaft of the sock with handy right and left identifi cation. RRP £15 • Available in sizes 34-46

Cavallo is distributed in the UK by

Zebra Products Ltd