Haras national du Pin

The Haras national du Pin, a French national stud, is positioned in Le Pin-au-Haras district, in the Orne department of the southern Normandy vicinity. It is the oldest of the French Haras Nationaux. In 1665, below Louis 14Colbert created the royal studs management in order to conquer the shortage of horses which then prevailed within the entire kingdom; he also wanted to enhance French equine breeds. The navy became then in dire need of horses, and the kingdom turned into forced to import them from overseas. As quickly because the administration was created, royal stallions have been selected and despatched out to various areas; they have been the simplest ones allowed to breed. Starting from 1668, the military nonetheless missing in horses, personal stallions were additionally allowed to breed after having been permitted of by the State.

The property these days covers over 2,471 acres. The first stables have been constructed starting from 1715 and the primary stallions arrived in 1717. The architectural style is equivalent to the one of the Ecole de Versailles, and Pierre Le Mousseux oversaw the works, following plans which had been drawn through Robert de Cotte, first architect to the Crown and the successor of Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The cutting-edge homes each the stables and the citadel were constructed under the reign of Louis XV, between 1715 and 1730. The writer Jean de La Varende nicknamed it the Equestrian Versailles. Terraces of the fort had been installed following the subculture of French formal lawn.