Pôle européen du cheval

The large equestrian competition center on the outskirts of Le Mans, open to the public all year: competitions almost every weekend, paths to stroll, about twenty shops, and places to eat.

The Sortir au Mans team met Pôle européen du cheval in October 2026. Read about the visit

What's on

Sign-ups, schedules, newsEverything is on the Pôle européen du cheval website

Practical info

Address

648 route de Feumusson, 72530 Yvré-l'Évêque

See on the map

Hours

Site open for strolling all year, on weekdays and weekends. Competitions almost every weekend: schedule and times on the Pôle's website. Restaurants open during competitions; Le Mans Padel (bar, fast food) every day.

Prices

Free to stroll the grounds. For competitions, admission conditions are listed on each event's page and in the Pôle's calendar (free, for example, for the mid-October dressage event and the November Grand National). Christmas show: paid, reservation required.

Parking

"Pôle 4" visitor parking, on site

Pets

Dogs welcome, on a leash.

Phone

02 43 89 66 93 (accueil ; bureaux en semaine 9 h-12 h et 14 h-18 h)

More about Pôle européen du cheval

Set on about fifty hectares in Yvré-l'Évêque, a few minutes from Le Mans, the Pôle européen du cheval is one of the largest equestrian competition sites in France. Almost every weekend of the year, you can watch show jumping and dressage, but also vaulting, horse-ball, or pony games, from toddlers on their Shetland ponies up to international riders from all over Europe.

The site is open to everyone: you don't need to ride or be entered in a competition. Families come to watch the events, stroll the country paths and the cross-country course when there is no competition, browse the twenty or so shops (not just for riders), and grab a bite to eat: a self-service restaurant, a panoramic restaurant upstairs, and a crêperie during competitions. You can also come for a walk on weekdays; dogs are welcome on a leash.

On site, Le Mans Padel occupies one of the buildings: you can play there, but also have a drink or a pizza, every day of the week. The site has 400 permanent stalls, can host up to 1,500 horses during major events, and accommodates up to 300 people in cottages, gîtes, and rooms. The competition calendar is published on the Pôle's website.

A bit of history

It all began in 1982 with a passionate teenager, Philippe Rossi, and a house across the road: eight stalls originally used for hunting horses, and a meadow. A professional rider, he added a riding arena, an indoor ring, more stalls, and then organized his first competitions under the name Boulerie Jump.

The site grew in stages: first several tracks running at the same time, a formula then rare in France that allowed many riders to compete every weekend; then two large covered buildings for year-round competition, financed in part by 8,000 m² of solar panels on their roofs and by about forty riders attached to the site. Becoming the Pôle européen du cheval in 2010, it hosted European championships, earned recognition from the French Equestrian Federation (a center of excellence for competition in 2021), and was selected as a training base for the Olympic Games. Its tracks, now sub-irrigated, use about 70% less water than in the era of sprinkler cannons.