Big ideas at the Haras du Pin
May 5th, 2009 • Posted by Alain Lambert • Category: Sport, Tourism
Laurent Beauvais, President of the Basse-Normandie Region, Alain Lambert, President of Orne County Council and François Roche-Bruyn, Director of the National Haras* met on the 24th April to discuss plans to develop the scope and site of the Haras du Pin (le Pin National Stud)*.
The main aspects of the project will be finalised at the end of June 2009. An association will then be created to manage the project for an interim period. Subsequently, in 2010, a mixed Syndicate will take over, comprising representation from the National Haras, the County and the Region.
The partners have already identified the main priorities which need to be implemented by the association on the Haras du Pin site. These are:
- Set up a project called “Equi’ressources” which will act as a national employment coordinator for the equine industry; as well as a media library and a business support team which will necessitate a major renovation of the Tournebride building from this year.
- Consolidate and improve training and research (national employment coordinator: economic development, innovation and job opportunities).
- Make the Haras du Pin a more vibrant and attractive site in order to win back visitors. Successfully merge the historical and modern elements of the site within a sustainable development perspective and with a view to its preparation for the World Equestrian Games in 2014 (tourism team: environment and equestrian events).
- Encourage experimentation and technological innovation, developing quality services for owners and breeders (technical team: reproduction/AI expertise and applied research).
For the Region, this project is part of a concerted and ambitious approach to develop the equine network across the territory. Having already developed its working partnerships with the Manche and Calvados Counties (the Breeding Development Centre in Saint-Lô and the Equine Pathology Institute in Goustranvile) it was essential for the Region, Orne County and the National Haras to lay out an expansion project in the heart of the Haras du Pin.
This cooperative venture is integral to the process of preparation for the World Equestrian Games in 2014, when the Haras du Pin will be the starting point for the endurance trials. It will also prolong the partnership convention between the Region and the County, signed in February 2008, which aimed to strengthen the visibility of this Basse-Normandie site and reinforce its position as a show-case for the National Haras as well as its economic, cultural and tourist weight to the benefit of the equine industry as a whole.
* the ‘Haras Nationaux ‘ is a nationwide network of state-owned stud farms which come under the mangement of the Ministry of farming and fishing. There is an Haras in every county of France. The Haras du Pin is the Orne’s stud farm.
Find out more on www.haras-nationaux.fr
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