Le Pin National Stud 

The Haras national du Pin, nicknamed the “Versailles of the horses” was built by order of The King Louis XIV, on a lush green estate which today comprises over 1 100 hectares. This former Royal stud farm is a unique and exceptional site in Normandy and in France.

The construction, designed by Robert de Cotte, the king’s first architect of the stud farm began in 1715, the year Louis XIV died, and finished in 1730 with the completion of the chateau.
The aim was to renew the army’s cavalry, select and improve breeds, and combine breeding with the mobilisation of horses to the front in wartime. More than 200 stallions and up to 10 breeds of horse were bred at the Haras du Pin.