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Charly shows you:

Garris 2007

The horse market in the Basque Country

On July 31, 2007, we visited the traditional horse market at Garris.
In the Basque language the village is called Garruze.
It is located southeast of Bayonne near St. Palais in France.

Horses of various breeds, ponies, donkeys and mules were for sale.

The animals were bound on chains or stood closely together in a pen.

Much market stalls offered equipment for the owners of horse and for horseriders.
One dealer also had the typical Pottok ponie bells and neck bands.

Some Pottok ponies were also available for sale.

A small Pottok pony herd stood closely together in a pen.

Pottok ponies with yellow marks in the ears

The ponies had blue marks at the skin and yellow marks with numbers in the ears.

The young horse riders of the
Association Pottoka Dantzan Elkartea
offered the visitors a nice riding show with their Pottok ponies.

The group of young riders showed with their pretty stallions an elegant dance.

They were supported by a friendly Basque of the
Association Nationale du Pottok .

He explained us the reason of the different letter combinations in the brandmarks
of the Pottok ponies that we have seen at the pottok judge in Ascain.
The first letter represents the owner of the horse, and the second letter is for the name of the house in which he lives.
For example, the brand JP means:
J is for the owner named Jean Pierre,
P is for the house Pellow Borda.

Later the Pottokas could show that they can jump.

a Pottok ponie is jumping over a barrier

At the beginning, the Basque ponies looked as if it's the first time that they see a barrier.

But finally all Pottok ponies jumped, some horsewoman jumped even without saddle, only with the saddle blanket at the horseback!

the Association Pottoka Dantzan Elkartea at the parade in Garris

In the afternoon, they rode a parade through the Basque horse market.
So everybody can see the strength of the nerves that their ponies have.

Gradually, more and more horses and people left the village.
So we left the horse market too.