Text © World of Showjumping

“As riders, we have a special life; we travel a lot and it's important that our families like this way of living,” France’s Francois Xavier Boudant – whose own family is closely involved in his professional riding career – tells World of Showjumping as we catch up with the 45-year-old who last year shot up to five-star level and quickly made himself a solid part of the French A-team.

“My parents are farmers and I grew up with a few horses at home,” Boudant tells about his background. “I have wanted to be a professional rider since I was very young. When I was around sixteen, I spoke with my parents and told them that I would like to make riding my career – and they were supportive of me. In the very beginning I was based at my parent’s farm, before moving to Haras de la Roque. During the last two years, Bertrand de Belabre has helped me with my riding, while in the past, I worked a lot with Eric Navet, Herve Godignon and Gilles de Balanda.”

Based in Normandy, near Deauville, Boudant runs a stable of around thirty horses, both young and older. “Me and my two partners bought this place in 2014. It is a beautiful property,” he tells. “The business side is important for our operation. I aim to have young horses with quality which I can produce myself and sell. Brazyl belongs to my friends Celine and Lionel Maurice, and at the moment I only have one other horse for the bigger classes. I have a few promising horses in the stable, but they are still young – they are eight and nine. I hope that next year they will be ready to slowly step up the levels. I have a rider for the four- and five-year-old horses and when they get older, I take them over to prepare them for the bigger shows. The young horses are an important part of our operation, even though my main objective is to do as many five-star shows as possible.”

With the 13-year-old Brazyl du Mezel (Haloubet de Gorze x Apache d’Adriers), Boudant took the biggest win of his career so far when topping the 2023 CSIO5* 1.60m Longines Grand Prix of Ireland in Dublin to cap off a hugely successful debut season on five-star level.

Together since 2019, Boudant and Brazyl du Mezel were part of the winning French team at the 2023 CSIO3* 1.45m Longines EEF Nations Cup in Peelbergen. Jumping double clear, the two got a foot in the door for more team appearances: Only a few weeks later, they did their five-star Nations Cup debut in St Gallen, delivering a 4/0 result, and continued to Rotterdam.

Last year’s dream-start to their five-star career was sealed in Dublin. After a fence down in each of the Nations Cup rounds, Boudant and Brazyl took the top honours in the CSIO5* 1.60m Longines Grand Prix of Ireland. “That was the biggest ever win for me,” Boudant recalls. “I remember trying to go safe in the jump-off, and luckily it all worked out in our favour.”

Finishing their 2023-season on a high note, Boudant and Brazyl were part of the French team at the 2023 Nations Cup Final in Barcelona, placed second in the CSI4* 1.55m Grand Prix in Saint Lô, 7th in the Longines Grand Prix in Lyon and 9th in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup at the same venue. This year, the two jumped double clear in the CSIO5* 1.60m Barriere Nations Cup in La Baule – where the French team had to settle for second place behind the Germans – and delivered another double clear in the CSIO5* 1.60m Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen.

“Brazyl has been in my stable since he was seven,” Boudant tells about his consistent chestnut gelding. “For me, the Nations Cups are the best classes, they are what I prefer. Additionally, those shows are my only possibility to jump at five-star level, because I am not ranked among the top on the Longines Rankings.”

“This winter, I would like to go to a few World Cup competitions if possible,” he continues to tell about his next goals. “It is not simple though, because we only have one spot for the French.”

Narrowly missing out on a spot in the French Olympic squad, Brazyl is now resting up to get ready for the second part of the indoor season. “I was close to getting to Paris, but I finished fifth, just outside the team. I am not upset about this; it's a good place to be anyway,” Boudant concludes. “Next year, I will try my best to get on the team for the European Championships. It's not easy to get on the team in France, because we have so many good riders. With a good horse and top results, I know I can have a spot. However, it's up to me to perform well – otherwise you have no chance.”

13.11.2024 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.