Lexington in 2010 and Lower Normandy in 2014, the World Equestrian Games will offer a fine opportunity to promote France’s horse industry, internationally. An overview of regional efforts.

RESEARCHERS AT THE WORLD GAMES

RESEARCHERS AT THE WORLD GAMES
The aim of the research mission that will be heading for Lexington in October is to reinforce the existing partnership (since 2006) between the Lower Normandy competitiveness cluster and the Kentucky-based cluster. Scientific exchanges have been organised over the past four years, in particular with the Frank Duncombe laboratory. The mission plans to initiate new collaborative projects. The Director of the CIRALE (also a member of the official WEG veterinary team), researchers from the Frank Duncombe laboratory, from the AFSSA (French Agency for Food Safety), the CIRALE, Caen University and the Lower Normandy equine veterinary surgeons association will be joining the mission. On the agenda: exchanges with their American counterparts and the updating of their partnership agreement.
Romuald Glowacki Horse Industry Competitiveness Cluster
Tel: 02 31 27 10 10  Website Mobile: 06 10 43 29 59

Four years from now, Lower Normandy will be welcoming the World Equestrian Games⁽¹⁾ on behalf of France. As the official “organising region” since March 2009, Lower Normandy is hard at work to prepare for the games and to ensure that they act as a genuine lever for territorial development. The founder members of the organising committee – the French State, the Regional Council, the three departmental Councils, the town of Caen, Caen la Mer and the Fédération Française d’Équitation (French Equestrian Federation) – joined by the Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français (French National Olympics and Sports Committee) have recently joined forces in the form of a PIG (Public Interest Group).

“This statutory change marks a major event in structuring the organisation of the games,” explains Dobrina Perrody, Project Leader for Normandie 2014, “It offers greater State involvement and participation by the region’s economic players (Horse Industry Competitiveness Cluster, Horse Council, representatives from tourism, the university…) as associate members.” Fabien Grobon was appointed Managing Director of the Public Interest Group on the 14th of February 2010. He was formerly Sponsoring and Licence Director for the French Tennis Federation for Roland-Garros. The PIG’s mission is twofold: to effectively organise the games and to create a link with the territorial project led by the Lower Normandy Regional Council, in other words, all projects and initiatives developed in association with the games.

a trial run in Lexington

“We have four years ahead of us to convert building sites and to implement durable investments for the future,” notes Philippe Bonneau, Vice President of the Regional Council, in charge of the horse industry’s challenges and policies. Every year, Lower Normandy welcomes a total of 4,000 equestrian events and the region’s horse industry is one of France’s most thriving: an annual turnover of €620 million, 10,000 jobs and an annual production of 10,000 foals, ranking Lower Normandy in first position among horse breeding regions. For the Regional councillor, the WEG will offer an opportunity to “promote and internationalise the many facets of France’s horse industry (export horse sales, innovation, training) and, more generally, the region - in all of its economic, cultural and tourism-related aspects.” But before Normandie 2014, let’s go to Lexington, Kentucky, where the 2010 WEG are being held from 25th September to 10th October. Invited as the forthcoming organising region, Lower Normandy has decided to bring along representatives from the region’s horse, tourist and agrifood industries. Over and above their presence in the international pavilion (on the France-Normandy stand), they have also been entrusted with three specific missions, scheduled from the 3rd to the 10th of October. The first, led by the Conseil des Chevaux de Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy Horse Council) will involve professionals from the horse industry and aims at developing commercial partnerships, in particular the sale of French horses to American buyers. The two further missions will be led by the Horse Industry Competitiveness Cluster. An export mission, organised in partnership with Ubi France and CCI International, will be offering industrial firms or service providers from the sector an opportunity to discover the American market (9.2 million horses) and its associated innovations. The third and the shortest mission will be mobilising Lower Normandy’s researchers in the field (see article). The WEG 2014 are already underway!

(1) In 2006, the WEG in Aix-la-Chapelle reunited a total of 460 million television viewers and 560,000 spectators over two weeks.

Anne Dupuis Horse Industry Competitiveness Cluster
Tel: 02 31 27 10 10

Dobrina Perrody Project Leader Normandie 2014
Mobile: 06 10 43 29 59

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