Do you marvel before a Curly or a Akhal Teke? No, they’re not dishes from a Thai restaurant, they are types of horses, and you can meet them at the Paris Horse Show (Salon du Cheval) together with over 1,000 other horses, ponies and donkeys (donkeys?). 46 different races and 400 professional participants are waiting for you. Enough to spur you to a gallop?…


Who can resist the majestic beauty of a horse? Or a Shetland pony? Or a donkey? Can anyone explain to me why there are donkeys at the horse show? Anyway, if you like horses, then the Paris Horse Show will also be something that you will like. A lot. Here’s what will be going on:

– The “Miss Rider” area, where young girls who like horses can meet up (young boys seem to be excluded),
– The “Merry Christmas” area, a Xmas market for spending all your money,
– The Salon Stables, a “classic” stable that should immediately bathe you in authentic ambience (I imagine that they mean the smell),
– The Equestrian Innovation area for all the latest horse-related products and, er, stuff,
– “The Gift Box” where apparently you’ll be able to win presents (sounds too good to be true. They don’t what you’ll have to do),
– the job area to help you find a training course or job experience,
– the Kids Village with the Moulière Forest Equestrian Centre (a Pony Club organised in an old farm in the Poitou-Charentes area of France), le Conches Equestrian Village (a beautiful Normandy farm that has been renovated to become an equestrian centre for kids), The Firfol Behavioural Academy (teaching you how to understand your horse and how to talk pony) and Georges Cotrait’s Vaulting Academy (your chance to get a free lesson of horse gymnastics!)…

and there’s a special range of events planned for ther late night opening of 9th December with a special horse race (they’ll be going as slow as possible), the Republican Guard, the “Insolite’ troupe, a “poetic, burlesque” show orchestrated by Roland Bossard and another equestrain event directed by Delphine Boonkens.

photo by Eduardo Amorim used under cc licence

The World Arabian Horse Championship is also held during the show (12th, 13th & 14th December 2008) with over 100 horses representing 17 countries and an opening ceremony on the Sunday morning with the world’s most beautiful pure-breds.

Here’s all the essential information for the Salon du Cheval 2008

When: from 6th – 14th December 2008
Where: Halls 7/1, 7/2 and 4 of the Parc des Expositions at the Porte de Versailles, 75015 Paris. Métro Porte de Versailles (line 12), tramway ligne T3, station Porte de Versailles, bus n°s 39 & 80
Opening hours: 10am – 7pm, late night opening the Tuesday 9th December until 10pm
Entrance fee: adults 12.50 €, children (6 to 12 years old) 8 €, free for children under 6 years old
More information: on the official site

Bigger map here