Frédéric is also from a riding family, but his career path has been unusual. He and his brother Jean François inherited their philosophy of horses from their father. From an early age, he found analyzing and understanding animals a source of fascination. As a child, he would watch dogs, cats and ponies, and then train them and try to communicate with them. He and his brother first learned to ride on a ram! This black ram was a household mascot that even accepted the bit and shafts for hauling a cart! At the age of ten, Frédéric switched to a pony. Riding bareback, with just a rope or rough bridle as harness, he would go out every evening after school and sometimes spend the whole day in the nearby mountains.After a short spell at fine arts school, he decided to make horses his profession. A huge fan of performance, he joined the Georges Branche school and learned acrobatics and stunts. Realizing that he had to learn the fundamentals of dressage, he landed (took courses) at an equestrian centre in southern France, where he met Magali.

Estelle was baptized in the little church of Cheval Blanc (White Horse), a village on a provencal hillside, Estelle grew up to the sound of horses' hooves; her parents even collected her from school in a calèche! From her earliest childhood, Estelle adored the world of performing and everything to do with it: make-up, sequins, costumes, and everything else. She spent her vacation days hanging on to her sister Magali's waist, as they rode on their horse Favorita. The fine old Lusitano mare submitted uncomplainingly to all their games!! They would dress her up as a show jumping champion, and put on shin boots and riding caps, or pretend she was a trail horse, with her saddlebags full of sandwiches and oats!! The next day, with ribbons in her mane and a braided halter, she would proudly carry the two sisters dressed in Spanish costume in their first parade in town. The air was filled with the sound of endless laughter, tumbles and bumps!!!

Background My parents established their Lusitano horse breeding farm before I was born, and Frédéric's parents set up a horse trekking business in the Drome region.

We both grew up surrounded by horses. My passion has always been dressage. When I was ten, I started helping my father with the horses, and appeared in shows starring my parents and their splendid Lusitanos.

Meanwhile, Frédéric was horsing around with his brothers, on horseback, of course!! He would get up to all sorts of mischief, riding his mare without a saddle or bridle through the Drome mountains.

At 18, I decided to become a state-certified instructor and teach dressage. I took part in competitions and shows, and spent a few months undergoing advanced training in Portugal. Back in France, I started teaching at an equestrian centre in Apt, in the Vaucluse region, a few kilometres from my home, so I could spend my free time riding my horses.

Frédéric trained for in Paris for two years with Georges Branche, one of France's top stunt riders, learning to perform acrobatics, falls and film stunts. At the end of his contract, he was hired by a delightful little equestrian centre in Apt!! Whether by coincidence or fate, we were now work colleagues engaged in the same activities, acrobatics, dressage and freestyle... and our love of horses brought us closer together!! A few months later, we opened our first stable together, with boarding, lessons, a show, and just three horses: two boarders and Templado, our first performance horse!! After less than a month, the stable was full and small shows were taking shape. We spent two years visiting every village in France, performing solo or incorporating our acts in The Chaps Show in France.

Pierre Lapouge, producer of the Passion d'Avignon equestrian spectacle, came to see us one evening, at our facility in the village of Tavel. We had designed an act especially for his Crinieres d'Or gala. It was dark, so we rented floodlights and music. Templado appeared, and with his mane glowing like a ray of light in the wind, he looked truly mystical. Mr. Lapouge was captivated. He was looking for something new, and as nobody had seen Templado yet, he was determined to have him for his show. Cheval Passion was a huge success and major promoters wanted us to perform all over Europe. Our small stable was growing and we now had eight performing horses.

Those three months were like a dream. We received a wonderful welcome at Don Manuel's farm, visited bull breeders and horse breeders, shopped at local stores and of course, rehearsed!! We also met the celebrated Don Alvaro Domecq.

When the show was ready, we shipped the 30 horses to the romantic beaches of the Caribbean. We spent two years in this exotic green paradise. The show was extremely successful and we improved our performance with the help of Don Manuel's boundless expertise. Meanwhile, offers were pouring in, so it was time to return to France. Maurice Galle, the French equestrian show director, suggested we make our comeback appearance in Nimes, in the amphitheatre. The horse world anxiously awaited our return. We performed flying leaps, a carousel of eight dressage trained horses with. And also a number with Dao's reins attached at the waist, the mirror pas de deux with Estelle and Zenete & Magali and Dao, and the three white stallions performing freestyle were Templado, Amoroso, and Aetes. Our horses' performances and our own stage presence ripened to maturity. We were given standing ovations, and the show was a triumph.

During the second year at Santo Domingo, we were contacted by Arabian Nights, the largest dinner show in the United States. They wanted us to train their riders and 60 horses, so a few days after performing in Nimes, we were off to the USA, and this happened four times a year. Meanwhile, our French tour was going well. The biggest shows wanted us, and we topped the bill all over France, at Paris Bercy, Lyon, Cannes, Avignon, Ste Marie de la mer.......After a year, we went all over Europe: Germany, Sweden Spain, Equitana in Essen 4 years running, S'herthogenbosch in Holland, Stockholm, Seville, Italy, and finally Monaco, where Prince Rainier and Princess Caroline gave us a diamond as a wedding gift, and we performed our last European show, in April 2003. On May 17, 2003, we got married and had a huge party attended by all our friends. That was the last time we performed in France. On May 24 we flew to Canada with our 15 horses. This new project, which was three years in the making, became a reality thanks to the perseverance of Normand Latourelle, pioneer of the Cirque du Soleil. His dream was to create a multimedia equestrian spectacle on a huge scale. We loved the concept and shared the same artistic values. Normand and his wife Dominique were also devoted animal lovers who understood exactly what we needed to ensure the horses' well-being on tour. Sand paddocks were set up at the rehearsal site, with hectares of fenced meadows all around. The stable staff were hand picked for their love of horses, and finally, the white big top was erected, proudly representing the dream of a few passionate people. The adventure was ready to begin!! After four months of rehearsals, we gave our first performance in Shawinigan, Canada.

The public was thrilled and captivated. Though only 3 shows were planned, we held more than 14 performances!! The tour began at top speed in Toronto. Our next stop was Montreal, in December, in a metre of snow and minus-40 temperatures. The show warmed the hearts of 70,000 spectators in 6 weeks!! Snow was falling at the end of January at Montreal airport when the 30 horses boarded a specially chartered plane!! We waved goodbye to the snowy Canada, bound for the shimmering sands of California!! For a year we toured the west coast: San Francisco, Glendale, Seattle, Berkeley, San Diego, Santa Monica, Phoenix. Wherever we went, we were greeted with acclaim by audiences, who found our natural, friendly relationship with our horses deeply moving. Before our departure for the east coast in late summer 2005, we felt we wanted to take in Toronto and Montreal, to say hi to the wonderful fans who had supported us from the outset!!