Horse of the Month: Caracole de la Roque

Epaillard said: “Maybe sometimes the control is not perfect, but she makes up for it with her quality, her strength, her genius. She is, without doubt, one of the best horses I have ever ridden in my life.”

With her large ears locked onto the next fence, Caracole is electrifying to watch; her turns should be seen to be believed, the angles she creates – wrapping her body around the wings – shave time and distance off the course, while the rails remain untouched and securely in their cups.

Epaillard is a firm advocate of barefoot horses; with him Caracole warmed up in a pelham and was switched to a hackamore for the main arena, where she powers her way around the track.

'Her best quality is her heart...'

Carocole’s career can almost be told in two halves, pre and post pandemic. Her time in between, she was turned away, which in hindsight was a smart move for her physical and mental development.

Until the start of 2023, she was owned by Alexandrine and Michel Hecart who bred her at home near Caen in the north of France. Their daughter Adeline competed her as a youngster, before her father took over in 2019.

Adeline believes Caracole to be one of the best horses they have bred. She said: “I rode her at the very beginning of her career and the feeling I had with her was something I had never felt before. It’s not every day you ride a horse like her. Her best quality is her heart, she would jump into fire she has so much character. I think that works in her favour as well. She has so much blood, she is so careful. I think for me, she is everything I imagine a top horse to be.”

Caracole’s dam is the Hecarts’ Selle Francais mare Pocahontas d’Amaury. Her sire, the German former jumping stallion, Zandor Z, an Anglo Arab warmblood bred by the Zangersheide Stud. He’s a favoured stallion of the Hecart family.

On his daughter Adeline’s advice, Michel took over the ride and competed Caracole up to three-star level, jumping 1.45m. He then gave the ride to family friend Epaillard in October 2021.

Heading to Herning

It wasn’t long before they caught the eye of the French selectors. In the summer of 2022, they competed in a strong event in Belgium, where they jumped double clear helping the French team to victory. That performance secured their place on the French team for the FEI Jumping World Championships in Herning, Denmark.

At the Worlds, the duo lead the way for the French team – with early jumping clears keeping France in the hunt. Eventually a medal was not to be, but their performance showed they belonged on a championship team, and weeks later they helped France to a second-placed finish at the Longines FEI Nations Cup™ Final in Barcelona.

The successes of 2022 are in the past now and now its time to hit the top with a new partner and in a new continent. Could Caracole return to France in two years time for Paris 2024?

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