Toyotaville

Once a year, Monpazier hosts the National Equine Endurance Championships, and massed ranks of horse trailers and Land Cruisers fill the racecourse to bursting point. Once they’ve each unloaded their super trim Arab cargo, the mud splattered 4X4’s gravitate towards town to empty the tabac and stock up on essentials.

Fuelled largely on calorie free fags, the jockeys are pretty fit too - and need to be – it’s 160km over two days, sometimes in 30°+ heat. The tracks are fantastic – a series of 30 to 40km loops through the forests which feature largely in the local landscape and are used by riders & walkers year round.

We’ve a particular interest in this and all things equestrian – our portfolio includes some very large, professional businesses – including a 100 acre / 40 box endurance yard (our ref 253). At the less expensive end of the scale, you can still find very reasonably priced properties with a decent amount of land – at under €250 000, our ref 304 has over 18 acres and is just 20 minutes from Bergerac.

Endurance is a complex sport – just because you cross the line first doesn’t mean you’ve won. There’s an optimum time for each stage and the horses have to pass through a series of vet stations and be proven not to be overstressed or overworked. You then have to do the same within 10 minutes of finishing - which is especially tough to do when it’s hot - so the sound of hundreds of buckets of water being thrown over steaming nags briefly drowns out the blare of the P.A.

Most of the teams of helpers are made up of press ganged relatives, with the odd semi – professional outfit aiming for a top 5 finish. Oh - and the King of Malaysia – no, I didn’t know they had one either - who took over a nearby hotel with his entourage & bodyguards (as you do), then arrived in a horse transporter the size of the Titanic.

Didn’t win though - Vive la république!