Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes; Cadre Noir De Saumur; Ecotourism; Equidae; France; French Equitation; Heritage Tourism; Horse; Horse Tourism; Ile De France; Intangible Heritage; Livestock; Loire; National Stud; Paris; Pays De La Loire; Questionnaire Survey; Stakeholder; UNESCO; Ville De Paris; World Heritage;

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85076900454&doi=10.1080%2f13683500.2019.1706459&partnerID=40&md5=1196c08fc7ced8f74b621d9b6925cee9

10.1080/13683500.2019.1706459

The intention of this research project was to question the ability of tourism to promote the conservation of equine heritage in its diversity. I undertook two case studies examining emblematic examples in France: the ‘Cadre noir de Saumur’, the main depositary of Equitation in the French Tradition inscribed on the UNESCO list, and the Vendée Stud, in the Pays de la Loire. This was a qualitative project including a total of 32 h of in-depth semi-structured individual interviews with 15 stakeholders at the ‘Cadre noir de Saumur’, at the Vendée Stud and at the Ministry of culture in Paris between September 2017 and April 2019. The interviews were combined with a total of around 40 h of participant and non-participant observations, conducted during several on-site visits. The results are nuanced. Both sites demonstrate that tourism can contribute to the revaluation of this equine heritage, but it necessitates the incorporation of a profound socio-cultural change, including a redefinition of the way the horse is used. This evolution is based on the ability of the stakeholders to incorporate a tourism culture, one which requires the inclusion of multiple skills but also an ability to devise joint cultural mediation projects with local communities.