On Saturday, a foretaste of Cheval passion was given in the town centre. An outside the walls made of pony baptisms or equestrian parade setting the tone before the 37e edition of this show which presents the latest equipment, innovations and services of the equestrian sector to riders, as well as to all lovers of equestrian arts. This Wednesday and until Sunday, the Exhibition Center will welcome more than 1,000 horses, 250 exhibitors, 800 breeders in some 10,000 m². The organizers, Avignon Tourisme and the City, hope to regain pre-Covid attendance (90,000 visitors on average), the two previous editions having been canceled or truncated (reduced gauge) by the health context.
Presented as the equestrian rendezvous of the South, Cheval passion also wants to be the other festival in Avignon. Far from being an elitist or insider meeting, the show affects several sectors: sport, with the federal network of equestrian centers and the various disciplines in competition, culture, with the creation of shows and the support of young artists, agriculture, with the enhancement of horse farms and territories, tourism, with hiking and equestrian leisure activities, the environment and heritage with pastoralism and working equitation, and education and training in horse trades.
Thursday and Friday will be devoted in particular to welcoming schoolchildren, 5,500 schoolchildren, middle and high school students will discover the world of horses, their sporting activities and their trades. Among them, 315 students with disabilities, from Ulis classes (localized units for inclusive education) from 23 colleges. The day before, more than 200 children and teenagers take part in Pony passion: each pony club has imagined and prepared an equestrian show on a free theme, with music and costumes, embellished with decorations. Eighty hours of shows, six performances of the Golden Manes gala are also on the program.
Finally, note that horseback riding is the 3e national sports federation, after football and tennis, with nearly 700,000 members (+12% since the health crisis). A federal congress is planned on the theme of school riding.
