Galau, Tagada and Urfée: a portrait of 3 "star" horses at our riding school

Charlotte Maurey is responsible for our stables, which she manages with a masterly hand and a great deal of passion. We asked her to choose 3 horses from her stable and present them to us. Whether by chance or on purpose, she chose 3 different breeds: those that delight adults, children and carriage-ride enthusiasts alike. 

Galau du Mas, the Camargue stallion

He is a breeding stallion of the breed, born on February 24, 2016 in the cradle of the Camargue breed, more precisely in the Chassagne marshes in Arles. From the Jalabert breeding farm, Galau is a son of Kakao du Mas and Rose du Mas by Gitan du Mas.

What's Galau's story?

Galau is my horse. Arrived at L'Auberge Cavalière in January 2019, he was just 3 years old and already showing great promise. His breaking-in on our premises. He took part in "Camagri", his first show, in 2020. This was his first Camargue dressage competition, where he proved to be very studious. He finished at the very top of the podium in the young horse category. 

Why did you choose to introduce us to this horse?

Galau is a very versatile horse, a guide horse par excellence for walks among the marshes and pink flamingos; but he's also a great show horse to liven up our arenas during an aperitif. He is much appreciated by our customers for his beauty and endearing character.

Tagada, the Shetland pony

We call him Taggy! Tagada is a Shetland pony, about 1 meter at the withers. He was born in 2005. His coat is chestnut, with washed manes. Like all ponies of his breed, he is extremely hardy.

Why is Taggy's story special?

Before arriving at the hostel, Tagada was in a club near Alès, in the company of Zorro - her life partner. As they were both available for sale after the club's closure, I decided to pay them a visit. After some thought, I loaded not one but two ponies into the van and headed for the Auberge Cavalière! Our 2 Shetlands arrived in April 2019 to delight the smallest children and young parents! Tagada and Zorro acclimatized well to our beautiful region and immediately charmed our guests.

What's his personality? 

It has a gentle, friendly character and is easy to handle. He rarely loses his temper. Tagada is one of our most popular mascots at Auberge Cavalière. But his biggest fault is that he's greedy, over and over again! Isn't that every pony's fault?... EXACTLY! Shetlands are stomachs on legs, but they're so cute that everyone falls for them. Our budding riders let them graze for a while on the trail.

Urfée de Feug, Comtois mare

Urfée is a pretty chestnut mare with a silky blond mane. She weighs an average of 700 kg and stands 1.55 m tall at the withers. She was born on January 1, 2008 at a breeding farm near Megève in the Haute-Savoie department.

Can you tell us more about the breed?

Urfée is a Comtois breed. The Comtois is a hardy draught horse from the Franche-Comté region of France. Its characteristic coat, reasonable size, docility and relatively light frame explain its success, especially for carriage driving. To give you an idea, a Comtois eats 2 times more than a Camargue horse, and 5 times more than our Shetland ponies!

What's the difference between Urfée and Tagada?

Urfée arrived at L'Auberge Cavalière du Pont des Bannes in February 2020 following a new project for the stables: offering discoveries of the Camargue by horse-drawn carriage departing from the hotel. Like Tagada, Urfée didn't arrive alone. But this time we went one step further: she was accompanied by her 2 little sisters, Flore and Flamette.

What can you tell us about Urfée?

The 3 sisters are so inseparable that they've been nicknamed "girl power"! They've adapted perfectly to the Camargue climate. And Urfée's biggest secret isn't really a secret... She's fallen in love with Galau, the stable stallion... It's not really a secret, because as soon as she passes him, she neighs and charms him. Is that a flaw? No, that's the life of a pretty mare!

Meet Galau, Tagada and Urfée for real

You can find Galau du Mas on our premises at L'Auberge Cavalière du Pont des Bannes, or on the show grounds at the Salon du Cheval Camargue from February 17 to 19, 2023. Tagada and her brother can be found at the entrance to the Auberge Cavalière du Pont des Bannes hotel, for your children to enjoy. You can find Urfée and the rest of the "girl power" trio at the entrance to our stables. They'll be delighted to show you around our Camargue in their carriages.

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