Horses hit La Clusaz

Jump'In La Clusaz
La Clusaz has just ended nine days of horse competitions, named “Jump’In” which saw a whole lot of massive trucks and temporary stables take over the under-utilised Salon des Dames car park at the entrance of town. I know absolutely nothing about horses or the competitions, but I was impressed at just how high and daintily these well-groomed, heavy animals can jump. Before each competition starts, the riders are allowed onto the course to check out the jumps. As you can see from one of the photos I snapped, a black labrador also got to check out the jumps and nobody seemed to mind. The mountains behind the course provided a very scenic backdrop.

The last three days of the competition saw riders from all over the world compete, with an English-speaking commentator talking alongside the French one (a rarity in these parts). The weather was sunny and humid and I felt sorry for the riders and horses while I sat in the shade with my ice cream. I also felt sorry for the four riders who went down a narrow path littered with pedestrians — on Segways. Everyone just stared while they waited for the pedestrians to get off the pedestrian path so they could continue. Thankfully, they avoided entering the jumping arena, although that could have been quite amusing I guess…

About

I'm a technical author, journalist and writer from Australia who has been living in Europe since 2000 and exploring the world from there. My passions are writing, snow sports and travel.