I have always seen the above logo and knew it was a symbol which was something to do with quality saddlery - it wasn't until this week that I realised just what quality was really all about!

The team from jumpingaround.com together with Australian Young Rider, Scottie Barclay, made the trip to Biarritz in the South of France to visit the factory and get a first hand look at what Devoucoux is all about - and we discovered that Devoucoux is based in one of the most beautiful towns in France - right on the Atlantic Ocean with views which are magnificent. Biarritz is a mere "blink" from the Spanish border and it is an interesting cultural mix of Spanish, French and believe it or not Russian architecture and heritage and the weather is superb - at this time of year there is often drizzle in the mornings but by lunchtime the sun has come out and the street cafes are full to overflowing as people sit and eat food which ranges from the classicial French fare through to the most delicious Spanish paella all washed down with a great range of wines and some unsual beers as well.

The people are friendly and helpful and unlike some in the lager cities, they appreciate any attempt to speak French without laughing at the feeble Aussie "tries" and this made our trip a happy one in all aspects.

My first contact with Devoucoux was with a gentleman by the name of Shamms (which is Arabic for "sunshine") and he is certainly that - the smile never leaves his face and he apologises constantly for his English - and for this there was no need as his English was excellent and completely self-taught - he explained that he has learned English by speaking to as many English speaking people as he can and always he is learning more and more.

Born in Paris, Shamms came to Biarritz to work for Jean-Michel Devoucoux, some three years ago and his obvious pride in the product and the company which produces stunning saddlery makes the experience fantastic for us. Shamms picked us up at our hotel and on the way to the factory he gave us a guided tour of the coastline and the history of Biarritz which is on the main highway from Bordeaux to Paris. Devoucoux have only recently moved to this new property (they have always been in Biarritz) and when the

development is complete it must surely be one of the finest in Europe. They are planning to have stables and an arena in the very near future so that riders will be able to stop in with their horses and try the saddles to ensure the perfect fit for both horse and rider and this is a great location as it is on the way to the main competition arenas of Europe for anyone getting off the ferry from England so it is not even out of the way and is also close to the Spanish area which hosts the Sunshine Tour.

Jean-Michel Devoucoux is himself a rider but apparently he is so busy these days that he does not have the time anymore which would sadden him. Jean-Michel is obviously no nominated "figure head" of a company as when we met him he was definitely in his "work clothes" and is obviously involved in the day to day manufacture of the product which carries his name throughout the world of horses.

I confess that until our visit I thought these saddles were for the jumpers alone but this is not the case - they have dressage, cross country, showjumping and now they have added endurance equipment to their range and we also the most perfect pony saddle ever - a "must have" item!
The reason for our trip was simple - we wanted to purchase saddlery for our horses and we were frustrated at not being able to simply walk into a shop and purchasing what we wanted - now we understand why this is not possible! With over 40 orders for saddles per week coming you would be forgiven for believing that this is a "mass produced" product but the reality is that this is not even close to the truth. Jean-Michel is a "master of his craft" of saddlery as are all his staff and the saddles are "handmade" in the truest sense of the word - from

the moment the leather arrives at the factory, through the process of making till the final product is ready the saddle is quality controlled and tested and each one is made with the personal pride of every "hand' which stretches the leather, makes the tree, hand stitches the saddle and it shows in every handmade saddle which leaves Devoucoux. (photo above shows the tools of a crafstman)

We began with the process of finding the right saddle for Australian Young Rider, Scottie Barclay who rides for Australian breeders, Celtic Winners, in Ireland. Scottie sat on several different styles while Shamms (a master fitter) looked closely at his position and leg length while also assessing where he sat "naturally" in the saddle and much discussion took place about what exactly we were looking for - a competition saddle or a work saddle! Scottie decided on the competition model he liked the best and then the discussion turned to the horse shapes and measurements were taken and noted - then the bad news - we would have to wait just over 7 weeks for the saddle!

As these saddles are all individually hand made it is a labour intensive process - the leather for example is soaked in water for 24 hours, then stretched to fit the saddle and is tacked in place with the tiniest of tacks - it is then left to dry for a further 24 hours after which the tacks were removed and the leather stitched into place - and this is the process for each part of the saddle. The fnal product is then ready to use and as Shamms explained, "once you have had the saddle for three days, no more, you are ready to go to the competition as your saddle is soft and comfortable".

But make no mistake - there is no "sweat factory" going on here - all the staff are friendly and happy and the pride they take in their work is so obvious - at every work station there are signs of each individuals horse preferences by way of photos - and the horses were as individual as the people - from the beautiful andalusian with flowing mane to the perfectly plaited warmblood and everything in between.

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