Élodie received a grant to enter the ‘BP JEPS Sport’ training programme of the Cadre Noir horse-riding school.

 What is your sporting background ?
When I was five, my parents enrolled me in Modern Jazz dance classes. I was quite good at it and I liked the activity, but really I only had one thing on my mind: horse-riding. At the age of nine, I finally managed to persuade them to ‘put my foot in the stirrup’, and I've been riding ever since. At first, I began to specialise in showjumping, as it was the main discipline at the stables where I was riding at the time. I was soon competing at an amateur level. I became so obsessed with the idea of becoming a professional in this field that I went to the open days of the Cadre Noir training courses in Saumur with my father and a friend who used to work in the sport. The Cadre Noir riders advised me to join the stable in my region that was best placed to help me progress and prepare me to take the selection tests to join one of their courses. I therefore went to see the stables and they quickly found me a mare (essential for entry to the Cadre Noir training programme). Together, we started competing in this discipline. I fell in love with eventing, and it felt like an obvious choice. My mare and I trained relentlessly, achieving numerous amateur placings and victories, including several times at the French Amateur Eventing Championships. We then changed stables and soon met a Cadre Noir rider specialising in show jumping, with whom I was able to discuss my project. He advised me to submit my application for the ‘Cadre Noir training rider’ course as a first step, before taking the selection tests for the ‘BP JEPS Sport’ course. I'm currently in my second year as a trainee under international eventing rider Matthieu Van Landeghem and, after passing the tests, I have just been officially selected for next year's BP JEPS Sport at the Cadre Noir!

 How do you view your profession today ?
Although the world of horses is trying to become more popular, it remains a very closed environment in which only the elite manages to make a full living from it, as top-level athletes. It's all the more difficult to make a place for yourself if you do not come from this milieu. That is one of the reasons why I want to have several diplomas, especially from the Cadre Noir, to make sure I succeed.

 How do you see yourself in 5 years ? In 10 years ?
In 5 and 10 years' time, I see myself with all the skills I need to stay in the equestrian industry. I will be in one of the biggest eventing stables in France or abroad as a competition rider but also as a trainer.

This interview was conducted in 2024​
Photography credit: Lys Arango