The Cadre Noir is France's national equestrian academy, founded in 1814 and still one of the most prestigious riding institutions in the world. It is housed in an impressive complex on the edge of town and stages public performances — the Carrousel de Saumur each July is the most spectacular, a formal riding display in full dress uniform that draws crowds from across France. The academy is open for guided visits outside of performance periods.
Cadre Noir
France's national equestrian academy with spectacular annual Carrousel
A story
The black-uniformed Cadre Noir was founded in 1825 to teach cavalry instructors after the Napoleonic Wars, and the riding tradition it preserves — known as French classical dressage — was inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2011.