WATCH A VIDEO OF THE TRANSHUMANCE

Long, beautiful columns of black princes of Ariège winding along our roads, trails and mountain pastures...this is the emblematic sight of late spring in our region. Also called the "Montagnage" in Ariège, this is a tradition that HARAS PICARD DU SANT practices and claims as our own. The tradition of bringing sheep, cows and horses up to the mountains to graze for the summer has always existed but increasingly in recent times using trucks. In 2000 an association "Autrefois le Couserans" organised the Fête de la Transhumance to validate and revive the tradition of bringing the livestock on foot. Since then almost all the herds and flocks walk to the "estives" on the first weekend in June.

In the Pyrenees many farms have insufficient grazing land so they use the high mountain pastures in the summertime, leaving their flocks and herds to roam free for about 5 months. The animals are led along paved roads, paths, roman roads and mountain trails, which is the case with us. We and our horses walk for 70 kms over 3 days, meeting along the way other farmers bringing sheep and cows. We take advantage of these occasions to share food and socialise.

The transhumance also helps to preserve and maintain the mountain environment. The maintenance of the biodiversity, the prevention of natural risks such as avalanches and fires is guaranteed in part by these acitivities on the estives.

Our program for the ascent in June and the descent in mid October follow the same rythm.

On the second weekend of March the horses are branded with HPS on the left thigh so they are easily identified on the mountain. The day before departure, we sort and round up the Mérens horses that will take taken to the estives. (One month before we will have put bells on the dominant ones so they can be found in the fog once on the mountain.)

Once sorted out we separate the horses in the meadow next to the farm. We also ready all the necessary provisions and equipment for the bivouacs, which is packed into 2 4-wheel drive vehicles, one of which pulls a horse trailer in case a Mérens falters along the way.

The first day we walk from Lasserre to the medieval town of St. Lizier where we are joined by another herd of horses as well as several flocks of sheep. Here we camp in tents for the night after an evening round the fire featuring storytelling, music, and songs by the group Capella Occitans.

On the second day we leave St Lizier around 9:00 am after a breakfast. We pass through St Girons (6600 inhabitants), with a stop at the Château de Beauregard and follow the Salat river to Serres, an 18 km journey.

We arrive in Seix after a convivial lunch and the traditional bathe in the river for the herd, when the horses drink, frolick and cool their legs. At about 2 pm we install the animals in the enclosures and take part in the festivities organised by the village, regaling the uninitiated with stories of our trip. In the evening, a meal with the shepherds, partying and another night camping under the starts.

The 3rd day is the longest and most difficult as we walk for 4 to 8 hours up into the mountain, ending in the high mountain above 2000 m where the horses regain their natural environment and become a bit more wild. Before this we have separated our herds according to the estives they will be in on opposite sides of the valley. If weather and time permits we'll do it in one long day, over 2 days otherwise. In either case we'll be very tired at the end of our journey but full of wonderful memories.

Photos : Tom Bible et Bruno Willer