Adapted from a news release by Pierre Sarniguet on olympics.com

Horses and Versailles, an iconic UNESCO World Heritage site located about 10 miles west of Paris, have a combined history that goes back four centuries. This legacy was well known to the Games Organizing Committee when it selected the stunning Palace of Versailles and its grounds to host the equestrian events of this 33rd modern Olympiad July 27-August 6.

To understand all of this, let’s go back in time and take advantage of the knowledge of Martine Anstett, tour guide for the Versailles Tourist Office and the Académie Equestre de Versailles since its creation in 2003.

A story that begins on horseback

The story of Versailles and the horse really began in the early 17th century, when Henry IV, then Louis XIII and, above all, Louis XIV took advantage of the lush green spaces in the western part of the capital to go hunting.

It was therefore as horsemen that the first kings trod the ground of the future palace park, unknowingly forging an initial link between this land and the animal. Since then, and right up to the present day, horses have always played a part in life in Versailles.

An instrument of power and sport

Under the Ancien Régime, the horse was much more than just a mode of transport. This is readily apparent in the Place d’Armes, with its huge equestrian statue of Louis XIV, and the gardens, with their basin of Apollo’s chariot and its four horses. These outdoor statues are complemented by equestrian paintings indoors that pay tribute to the monarch’s mastery of his horse, and by inference, his ability to govern well.

The construction of the Grande and Petite Écurie stables at the end of the 17th century marked a new turning point in the equine life of Versailles. From 400 horses in 1680 the numbers climbed to 2,208 horses in the royal stables by 1787. This figure might seem excessive, but it should be borne in mind that the animal was used for a wide range of activities: travel, carousels (see below), rides and, of course, hunting (the Bourbon kings went on between 150 and 180 hunting trips a year).

In 1761, no fewer than 26 riders were in the service of Louis XV, and they changed mounts depending on the game being hunted. The horses of the sovereign and his court were carefully selected, sometimes from well beyond the borders of the kingdom.

When riding becomes art

Little by little, the Bourbons established new principles in their stables. From 1680 onwards, the Grande and Petite Écurie were home to the new École de Versailles, where “ease and technique were now given priority, in contrast to the more restrictive and warlike methods of the past. The art of dressage, as we know it today, particularly in Olympic and Paralympic competitions, was born here in Versailles,” Anstett points out.

The Revolution forced the king and his court to evacuate the palace on 6 October 1789, marking the end of the École de Versailles, which disappeared in 1830. Despite this, its precepts, such as the culture of excellence and training, remained. “After 1830 and until the First World War, it was the army and its cavalry that occupied the castle’s stables (riding being an integral part of officer education).

“There was also a short-lived racecourse (from 1864 to 1870) in the Porchefontaine district, and in 1954 the Club Hippique de Versailles was founded, one of the oldest clubs still in existence in France,” says the guide.

A new start

In 2003, the Académie Équestre de Versailles was created to combine heritage and artistic creation. Its status as a company/school breathed new life into the art of dressage born in Versailles four centuries earlier. On a more sporting level, in 2017, an international jumping event was held in the courtyard of the King’s Grande Écurie, in the presence of a number of Olympic champions.

Nor are the 2024 Paris Games the first instance of equestrian competition at Versailles. The practice of medieval jousting in France was brought to a halt by the fatal accident that struck King Henry II in 1559. This led to the development of other equestrian activities, in particular carousels, large-scale equestrian shows featuring demonstrations of dressage and handling in the tradition of “little war” training games. Two carousels were held at the palace at the end of the 17th century, giving the best riders the chance to distinguish themselves in the ring race and the game of “heads.” In a way, these carousels were the first equestrian events to be held at Versailles.

All in all, staging the equestrian events of the Paris 2024 Games at Versailles seems like a fitting return to the source.