Pierre Durand, ambassador for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy :
An idol for many French riders, Pierre Durand is a veritable living legend in the show jumping world.
From the age of 14, he won medals in national championships. Very quickly, he went on to win international titles.
Although Pierre Durand was successful even before Jappeloup, it was with this little horse that he entered into equestrian history. As of the French Championships in 1982, the pair triumphed wherever they went. In the Seoul Olympics in 1988, in particular, the duo won the team bronze and just missed out on the individual gold. Up until 1990, Jappeloup and Pierre Durand dazzled in all of the greatest competitions.
Pierre Durand has strong ties with the World Equestrian Games, as he took part in the very first edition, in Stockholm in 1990. At these games, he won team gold.
A member of the Académie des Sports, Pierre Durand was also president of the French Equestrian Federation from 1993 to 1998. Today, he is president of the board of directors of the French National Institute for Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP).
He is also an officer of the Legion of Honour, as well as a knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit.
Pierre Durand was immortalised on screen in 2012 in the film Jappeloup, in which he was played by Guillaume Canet.
