Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Meet Okapi!


You may wonder what a horse is doing on a blog dealing with Paris, but there is no reason to be surprised, for there are many horses in Paris! First, there are several horse-riding schools around Paris, but there are also three squadrons of cavalry that are actually part of the Republican Guard (Garde Républicaine), a subdivision of the French Gendarmerie. It's not uncommon to see them in the streets of Paris, in the middle of cars (I already showed them several times)! I took the photo of Okapi inside one of the squadrons, the Caserne des Célestins, near Bastille, a place that is really impressive to visit! 

16 comments:

  1. I was about to extoll the beauty of another French man, but Mr. pHX said most of the horses are geldings...ouch!

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  2. Wilbur!!!! (She says, instantly showing her age) Seriously, he is gorgeous.

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  3. Oh, what a sweetie -- I love horses. Great profile shot Eric!

    We have something like that here in San Francisco. It's called the "San Francisco Police Mounted Unit". The police horses' stables are in Golden Gate Park. They are loved by all; and even have their own Facebook account. facebook.com/pages/San-Francisco-Police-Mounted-Unit/

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  4. If you're in Paris the next couple of weeks, the "Garde Républicaine" is actually organizing an open weekend on September 29 & 30 in Vincennes near the castle. More info on my FB page "Paris-saintonge"

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  5. Wow... how greatly framed !
    This is comforting to open the day on this gorgeous profile.
    I would like to go and see them closer on Spt 29 & 30. So thank you to both of you Eric and Stéphane for reminding of the event 'portes ouvertes'.

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  6. @Stephane. Merci, I'm going to check that out.

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  7. Well, helloooo gorgeous! I have a soft spot for redheads. What a sweetheart.

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  8. What a beautiful horse! Absolutely gorgeous. :)

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  9. I've seen the Gendarmerie riding the streets of Paris a number of times on their mounts.. It's actually a pretty amazing sight the first time you see these animals. They are obviously taken very good care of and treated with respect and pride....

    The only other place I've seen this kind of general use is in Chicago but they are not as majestic as the ones in Paris...

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  10. What a handsome horse - I wonder if you're allowed to feed them - apples? carrots? sugarcubes?

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  11. I don't know, Winski, I always liked the Chicago horses, and Chicago is a great city. But everyone looks more glamorous in Paris.

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  12. I love horses and I love Paris, though I've only been to her airport. ;-) Very handsome fellow, with a kind eye and expression. Looks like he's well care for and I love that the most. Merci!

    Valorie

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  13. No feeding Monnica, this visit was exceptional, it's not open to the public, usually.

    And yes, this is a really beautiful horse I agree.

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  14. Left me speechless and slightly anxious... Felt like something missed.

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