When she purchased Hondero, a Purebred Spanish horse, Corinne Dupeyrat had never done dressage. She had ridden in three-day events and pony show jumping competitions, but had stopped practicing this sport for a bit more than 10 years. Since her encounter with the stallion KWPN Tolando du Loing, dressage has nonetheless become the discipline in which she excels, as shown by some of her greatest results:
– 2004: Champion of Paris, 4th category (with Hondero, who since then has left to stud at his breeder's;
– 2005: 3rd in the French Championship, Classic Cycle for young horses 5 years old and 2nd in the Paris Championship (with Tolando du Loing);
– 2006: 3rd in the French Championship, Classic Cycle for young horses 6 years old (Tolando du Loing) ;
– 2007: Champion of Paris, vice-champion of Île-de-France, 8th in the French Championship in category B (Tolando du Loing);
– in 2008, she moved up to the professional category, again with Tolando.

To find out more about the results of the horse and its rider : www.ffecompet.com

This magnificent bay horse had been raised for show jumping. After having successfully passed very selective qualifiers to become a stallion in Holland, he lost in the finals. It's thanks to this fortunate failure that Corinne Dupeyrat was able to purchase him from his breeder, in the Netherlands. Tolando was then 4 years old. Since then, they've been making progress together... with great strides. To date, Tolando has obtained 24 1st places out of 52 events and has always placed within the top 3. In 2006, at 6 years old, he was ranked 6th-best horse of his generation.

"A success is always that of a team," reminds Corinne Dupeyrat, "It's the stables, the trainer, and the staff who take care of the horse – especially the groom; they're all important for the horse and rider to be able to enter the competitions in the right conditions."

The progress made by Tolando and Corinne Dupeyrat benefited from a decisive encounter with Marietta Almasy, a former international rider and currently an international judge, who frequented the same stables as the artist: "This encounter was a magic trigger; my progress and that of Tolando are truly linked to the work that we did all together."

Artist, architect, and rider... Corinne Dupeyrat alternatively practices three activities, whose common denominator is called "rigor and precision": "Dressage is extremely technical but requires much sensitivity. My progress in horseback riding is useful to me for drawing, and vice-versa.
Isn't dressage called "equestrian art"?
"Some parallels between drawing and dressage seem obvious to me. For example, in drawing rigor and precision are needed, just as in dressage... and in dressage a dose of creativity is required to enable the horse to express itself freely. In these two fields, drawing animals and horseback riding, you need to have a real approach to the animal and to understand its own personality."

On top of this is a not inconsiderable aspect of mediation and psychology: "I find I have a role of intermediary or mediator. This is necessary in architecture, because it's a matter of being the link between the desire and personality of the client and his interior project. Then, again in drawing, I position myself between the owner and his animal. Finally, I seek to immerse myself in the personality of my horse to better understand him and to help us make progress. I channel and orient his energy...."

Without having previously practiced dressage, Corinne Dupeyrat has, in four years, succeeded in reaching the professional level. Since there is more than a touch of magic and of dream in this incredible journey, why not go even further?
"London, 2012?" asks the rider, half serious....