with her Anzillero filly at the Decize show in Aug Photo: Laurence Salphati.Dozens of Qatari princes in traditional robes pack the stands as the sunlight begins to fade the magnificent pure Arabians are led before them and all those barely definable characteristics that make horses perhaps the most majestic of all creatures Glorious trophies are awarded for those who please the judges most but the pride a winning owner feels is far more significant He has set a prized possession before his peers to be assessed Horse shows like this have been taking place ever since men have ridden beauty parades where owners pit their finest animals against each other commercial needs have taken over and the beauty contest has become the bloodstock sale the old tradition has not totally vanished where man’s bond with the horse is traditionally strong They are also a regular feature in two regions of rural France These gatherings helped breeders with their mating plans and gave the administration opportunities to check the evolution and abilities of the breed they were aiming to create They grew in prominence in the late 19th century when they became outstanding trading opportunities Now every August and September three major events are organized by local breeders’ associations: one in the Nièvre department in East-Central France and another in the Maine-et-Loire department in the West which have become so successful on the steeplechase tracks of France and Ireland; and one more in the Gironde department in the South-West for Anglo-Arabs (at La Teste racecourse on Sept most that would hardly be out of place at the big Arqana The horses compete in categories according to their sex and birth date Every winner goes through to the contest to find an overall champion Bright metal plaques are awarded for all the winners these competitions also helped promote fine conformation in the new breeds by allowing the best-looking mares easier access to the top sires whose wedding lists were managed with quotas giving the lioness’s share to the best racing mares But a prize at a conformation contest could give a less successful yet handsome mare a place on a waiting list but a prize at one of these shows immediately adds value to the horse in question an Irish pinhooker was glad when a weanling he had bought at just three days old was granted a first prize at the APQS contest at the town of Decize in Nièvre last month The good pedigrees trade fast in the region and one would not like to wait too long to make an offer after a well-bred foal has struggled to its feet Most AQPS jumping champions have been through this process and some have been successful there before going into training for the racecourse and trainers from Britain and Ireland have known for some time that these shows are the places to look for potential top-class jump racers So every August and September for the last 20 years or so they have been getting into their cars and driving south some are even summoned by the organizers to help as judges British trainer Nick Williams was at Decize once again this season while other leading British trainers Nicky Henderson and Irish champion Willie Mullins have also made it there in the recent past Indeed business was booming at the Decize show on August 29 A young breeder was rather surprised when she arrived in her van “I had just left the wheel when a group of Irish buyers asked to look at the horse I walked him a few moments and the deal was done The price was right and I had a cheque in my hand No official recording of the sales is held but the organizers estimate that about 35 of the 250-odd horses catalogued changed hands in the course of the event this season which is particularly significant as barely half the horses were for sale “It was like war out there this morning,” Katie Rudd a British pinhooker who has become a regular at the AQPS shows “I have seldom seen so many buyers here even though it has become an important fair with most of us The Irish crop has diminished by about half since 2008 and jumpers are still very much in demand in Britain so we must make sure we don’t get stuck [with not enough new horses] after the Fairyhouse sales end [Nov “The local breed shows the conformation we need for jumpers,” noted Seamus Murphy one of the first to spot the possibilities of these shows he has had time to learn enough French to engage a taciturn Nièvre breeder and somehow get a deal Another factor for the local breeders is the opportunity to gauge the value of their bloodstock Young sires can earn a reputation in these contests Most local sires were owned by the Haras Nationaux but the majority of them have been acquired by breeders’ groups and are massively supported by most locals Business was expected to be just as fierce at the Lion d’Angers APQS show in Maine-et-Loire on Sept on the racecourse where the longest cross-country race in the world is run in May (7,300 meters -- 100 more than the Grand National) This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The page you're looking for does not exist Please try our site search feature to find what you are looking for Gautier High School senior Shelby Knighten will shadow French student Aurelien Bour during his stay They started their day with breakfast Monday morning at the GHS media center .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Joanne AndersonGAUTIER Mississippi - A group of French exchange students were welcomed to Mississippi this morning by local and school officials as well as their exchange teacher and student counterparts at Gautier High School When they departed from their hometown of Decize on Sunday it was 1 degree Celcius with a bone-chilling wind It took them about 3 hours just to get to Paris where they caught their flight to Dallas and on to Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport "They are so excited to be here," said their teacher Cathia Gaita "This is the American dream and they are surprised they are here They will learn other cultures and return to France enriched." Gaita said most of the students cried when they learned they were making the trip Pascagoula School Board President Dan Marks Bernard Rogers and Yvette Barr of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce gave the 18 students and their teachers an official welcome The French students attend Lycee Maurice Genevoix in Decize They will be hosted by local families while they are here Students from Lycee Maurice Genevoix in Decize arrived at Gautier High School today for breakfast and an official welcome from city and school officials as they begin a 11-day itinerary visiting on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in New Orleans Aquarium and I-Max and attend classes and demonstrations with GHS students They are scheduled to depart from Gulfport on Feb The exchange program was initiated at GHS by French teacher Anne Steitenroth The program lay dormant from 2001 to 2007 when current French teacher Virginia Jolly picked it up again "We received the French in 2007 and we traveled to France," Jolly said I do not know of any other French exchange program in Jackson County and there is only one other in the state." Jolly said the exchange has always been a wonderful experience shining light on many new cultural aspects -- music Bobby and Anirah Olsen of Pascagoula are hosting a Mardi Gras party for the group at their home in conjunction with the Pascagoula Mardi Gras Parade GHS senior Breland Sheppard and his parents "I will learn from them," Sheppard said "If I ever get to France I will look them up." who is staying with Shelby Knighten and his family His brother stayed with the Knightens on a previous trip said he learned cultural differences and practiced his French "It changed my perspective and made me appreciate my own culture in that I incorporated what I learned in my life," he said accompanied by their teachers Cathia Gaita and Patrice Picard Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.