The historic turning point

The Commission for Youth and Games was created under the presidency of Philippe LEFEBVRE-PONTALIS, later followed by Mr. GABORIAU.

Jean-Claude GAST and Pascal MARRY participated in the first steps of this commission, organizing the first match of Indoor Pato during the Salon du Cheval of 1977, with Centre-de-Val-Loire pitted against Provence!

The real beginning of the game that we know today is without a doubt linked to a political willingness of the Federation, driven by MARRY and GAST. Their experiences told them that in order to modernize equestrian teaching, practices which had until then been ‘frowned’ upon needed some valorisation.

The first referee, Paul LANCHAIS, was actually National Technical Assistant Director, teaching also at Centre-Val-de-Loire during the early years of the sport.

As discovered, Horse Ball owes a huge part of its success to the National Technical Institution, who after many years and a number of successive Presidents have given flawless support to this project.

In November 1978, a seminar for regional technical counsellors was organized at the National Equestrian School in Saumur in order to help the leagues become more aware of Equestrian Games. The seminar was enthusiastically attended by the Commission for Youth and Games, in particular by the game’s two spiritual fathers, P.MARRY and J.C. GAST.

The seminar was a turnaround for Pato thanks to the participation of two people who were to play a very important future role: Jean-Paul DEPONS and Philippe THIEBAUT.

Trainee riding teacher Philippe THIEBAUT, once qualified, started teaching in a riding school managed by Pascal MARRY. He subsequently began experimenting with the rules of Pato and other Games.

Jean-Paul DEPONS, a trainee with Master COUILLAUD at Poigny-la-Foret (Yvelines) where he discovered an exercise for the ‘seat’ by the name of Horse Ball (that of CLAVE), installed himself in the family property at Castillon-la-Bataille, once qualified.

Here was the occasion to finally promote the idea of modernizing equestrian teaching,

and it was decided to create a French Championship in Equestrian Games.