I cavalli, la potenza dell’amore
Susanna Cottica
Jean François Pignon is one of the greatest equestrian artists.
His charisma, mastery, and joyful, yet wild connection with his horses have made him famous and appreciated worldwide.
Thanks to his extraordinary talent, passion, sensitivity, and empathy, Pignon is able to bring to life inimitable emotions with his horses. It is magic, intimate communication, elegant harmony.
Pignon, in a natural and instinctive way, speaks to his horses, communicates, and plays with them: «My relationship with horses is an instinctive and natural complicity, made of mutual trust and silent empathy.»
Jean François Pignon tells his story, his thoughts on horses…
Gazelle
My first mare was named Gazelle, a small Camargue horse. She taught me everything, inspired me, and paved the way for an intimate relationship with horses. When she arrived, I was nine years old. I learned everything from her. I discovered the extraordinary generosity of horses and a sensitivity we can’t even imagine.
From Gazelle, I learned to pause, to wait for the horses’ time, to never take advantage of their generosity. When a horse enjoys being with us, it’s an extraordinary moment. It requires patience, which isn’t exactly a human quality. Gazelle was my teacher, my guide. I dedicated a film to her, ‘Gazelle: A True Story.’
I grew up playing with horses until one day I was asked to perform a small show at my local town festival.
So, at seventeen years of age, I performed my first show. Someone noticed me, and from then on, I started being invited to local village festivals… My family was very modest, and since I was paid to perform, I continued. From town to town, one day the organizer of Cheval Passion in Avignon, one of the most important equestrian events in the world, saw me and asked me to put on a show.
From that moment on, little by little… it became my job. I started taking my shows everywhere; At that time, I was the only one doing freestyle at the time. Everyone complimented me.
My fame grew, and with it, my ego. That’s when my problems began. I thought I was the best. For example, I couldn’t accept that my brother was doing freestyle like me; I was jealous, proud of myself. The better my shows got, the prouder and more ambitious I became. Then something happened that changed me, leading me to become who I am today. Around that time, Gazelle had a health problem. For me, it felt like the end. Gazelle was the love of my life, the most important being, more important than family, more important than everything. One day the vet told me the situation was very serious. I was desperate at the thought of losing her. Then something happened that changed my destiny.
A friend told me that only God could save Gazelle. I didn’t know God, so I asked him to help me understand. My friend began to pray, and I did too. He prayed to God to save Gazelle. I started crying during the prayer. Even today, I get emotional thinking about it… ‘If you believe in miracles, the miracle will come,’ my friend told me. ‘You’re responsible now. If you believe, it will happen; if you don’t, it won’t happen.’ In order to save Gazelle, I said, ‘OK, I want to believe.’
And I prayed intensely with conviction. Two days later, Gazelle was fine. From that moment, I understood that it is God who guides us with his love. From that day, my whole life changed. I was 33 when this happened. I’ve believed in God for 23 years now, I trust him.
I pray and read Bible verses. Today, I thank God and the horses for what I have and what I am. My life has become a dream, and I bring my message to people during my shows. My life is harmony with nature, the universe, horses, and all of God’s creatures.
The spirit of horses
The older I get, the more I understand horses, and the more I realise the enormous difference between horses and humans. I’ve been looking for harmony with horses for forty years, and I’m still searching today.
They are so different from us that I don’t know if it will ever be possible to find it.
My experience in Patagonia with four Criollo horses who had been traumatised by humans taught me so much. I spent forty days in silence to connect with them.
There, I learned the profound nature of horses and what we represent for them: a danger to avoid. Horses perceive the slightest tension from us as brutality, aggression…
So, try to imagine their level of sensitivity… silence, calm, patience, joy, security but with delicacy, inner peace: these are the elements needed to reach the spirit of horses. All enclosed in love. I’d like to bring this into the world of humans, the powerful love of horses.
Photo Credits Stefano Secchi