Deep Rural Roots & Economic Cooperation Across Normandy
Equine sports in France are often misunderstood as commercial spectacles, yet at their core, rural racecourses in regions like Normandy are vital cultural infrastructure. Horses raised in the surrounding pastures of the Pays d'Ouche and Perche represent centuries of careful animal husbandry, selective breeding, and equine care that have established French trotters and thoroughbreds as international benchmarks of athletic grace.
Société des Courses Hippiques maintains close, non-monetized relationships with local breeders, equestrian boarding centers, and veterinary academies. By providing a safe, professionally inspected grass track right here in Verneuil d'Avre et d'Iton, we reduce the need for local horse owners and trainers to transport animals long distances on fossil-fuel highways for training and exhibition. This localized sporting circuit reduces transit stress on animals, lowers carbon emissions, and ensures that regional breeders remain anchored in our rural communes.
Furthermore, our association fosters volunteer leadership among younger residents. By welcoming student interns from agricultural high schools and veterinary technical institutes in Évreux and Alençon, we offer real-world field experience in track maintenance, veterinary compliance checking, and event logistics. These educational opportunities help equip the next generation of rural stewards with practical skills, instilling a deep sense of civic responsibility and environmental awareness. Every event is planned with long-term ecological and community continuity at its heart.
We also maintain active collaborations with senior citizen clubs across the Eure, organizing safe group excursions that allow elderly residents to enjoy festive afternoons outdoors in shaded pavilion settings, reconnecting with rural memories and enjoying the companionship of fellow neighbors.
"All membership fees and dues are fully reinvested in the association's public interest missions."
