Through Mathilde Notebook
Published on
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In the stables of the Boscherville Reconversion association, in Grand Bourgtheroulde, the three horses are preparing to welcome a fourth, this September 1st.
Séverine Tostain, president of the association, and her companion Gildas Mabilais are passionate about Thoroughbreds. Gildas also practices horse-ball, a team equestrian sport.
Ten years ago, they opened their Boscherville stud farm in Grand Bourgtheroulde, a boarding house for horses of this breed with horse-ball coaching. And in 2017, the stud obtained the accreditation of Au-Beyond des Pistes (ADDP), a national association promoting the retraining of racehorses in France, supported by France Galop.
Since December 2020, the Boscherville stud farm has become the Boscherville Reconversion association, which is dedicated solely to the retraining of horses.
“All horses are good somewhere. Here, we are looking for what to convert them ”
Gildas Mabilais devotes five half-days a week to horses. They all come from the racing world, “where a lot of money is at stake”. So horses have to be excellent. “We collect the horses which are not fast enough”, explains the manager.
If it is rare, in our time, that these horses end up in the slaughterhouse, “which was frequent before, when they were considered as objects”, it is all the same a risk which is ruled out when the horses enter. to the association. “They are therefore prohibited for consumption. “
Reformatting racehorses
The owners, disappointed with their horse, leave it to the ADDP which then places it in the partner stud farms. Like Elvis, a 7-year-old Thoroughbred, who joined the association a month ago. “He is limping, he has a problem with his foot,” explains Gildas. It will be necessary to wait to be able to start the “reformatting”.
From a month to a year, the horse is “worked” regularly by Gildas. Because the racehorse “only knows how to race” when he arrives.
“It’s dangerous to buy a racehorse: it has been formatted to run very fast in a straight line. “
So first, the animal is cared for, “because racehorses start running too early, which causes them health problems”.
Life after
Then, for hours on end, Gildas re-educates them: making a circle, taking a quiet walk in the woods. He also trains them all in horse-ball, which is the specificity of the association. “Because a horse that is bad for racing can be very good at horseball,” says the manager. This is the case of Speed Dolois, a characterful 5-year-old Thoroughbred, with whom Gildas practices horse-ball, while waiting to sell it.
“The horses are sold between 1,500 and 5,000 €, which allows us to cover the costs of maintenance and care, but we do not make money with the association. “
When the animal is ready, it can be sold to individuals. “Above all, we make sure that they will take care of the animal and that it will have a good life. He will not be competing again. “
Boscherville Reconversion Association, 234, chemin du Buvey in Grand Bourgtheroulde. 06 45 61 19 15.
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