Constance Menard
Encyclopedia
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Constance Menard (born 17 May 1968) is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
professional Dressage
Dressage
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
rider and equestrienne.
She started training with Michel Autran from the Cadre Noir
Cadre Noir
The Cadre Noir is an equestrian display team based in the city of Saumur in western France. The troop was founded in 1828, and gets its name from the black uniforms that are still used today...
in 2003.
She has been placed in more than 40 international Grand Prix (Dressage), and is a member of the French team .
Career
The daughter of Jacques Menard, a professional French dressage rider, Constance Menard started her own career twenty years ago, choosing dressage as her forte after having practiced all horse riding disciplines.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, before qualifying as riding instructor in 2005 after graduating from the national riding school at Saumur. She now lives in Saumur, France, where she trains daily with her coach, Lt. Col. Michel Autran, ecuyer (riding master) of the Cadre Noir.
On August 9, 2005, Menard suffered a near-fatal accident when a bale of hay weighing almost 300 kilograms (661.4 lb) fell on her. Both collarbones and three vertebrae were broken, and her sternum was bruised.
Constance Menard is also an instructor, teaching students at riding schools all over Europe, including Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, and Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. She judges at dressage competitions around France.
Major events
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. In 1992, she was the French Champion. In 2004, she won the Bushmills
Bushmills
Bushmills is a village on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Bushmills had 1,319 inhabitants in the 2001 Census. It is located 95 km from Belfast, 10 km from Ballycastle and 15 km from Coleraine...
National Grand Prix. In 2005, Menard won the Grand Prix Special of Vejer and Lipica
Lipica
Lipica is a village in the Municipality of Sežana in the Littoral region of Slovenia, close to the border with Italy.Lipica is one of the main tourist centers of the Slovenia's Karst region. It is the origin of the Lipizzaner horses. The Lipica stud farm was established in 1580 by Charles II,...
, and participated in the European championship at Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
, where she helped her team to 7th place. In March 2006, she won the Marc-en-Baroeul (France) National Grand Prix. In 2008, she rode at the Beijing Olympic Games
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
External links
- Official Web Site - http://www.cm-classic.com
- Resuls CDIO Saumur April 27 - May 1, 2005
- 2005 European Dressage Championships