Indoor schools

The indoor schools are the preferred places for horsework. Spatially, they mark the history of horse riding in France and its heritage. These equipments have undergone continuous development – from the riding arena built by Charles V in a place of Paris called "Le Séjour du roi" [King's Stay] until contemporary indoor schools. Their architecture varies as much as their different kinds. The 16th century saw the true dawn of this tool for horsework. In the course of the 17^th and 18^th century, the private schools of wealthy mansions and castles competed with academic schools. On the contrary, the 19^th century gave rise to military schools, which emerged almost everywhere.

Admirable for their architecture, the indoors schools at Versailles and Chantilly stand out as benchmarks, but other, smaller buildings are nonetheless of particular interest, such as the indoor schools of the Chaumont-sur-Loire castle, or of the Brouillard in Precy-sous-Thil. The development of construction techniques is particularly notable in the roofing frameworks implemented pursuant to the discoveries made during the 19^th century. The size of the schools also reflects the use of these buildings - restrained surfaces for riding schools or private homes, where the development of the horse is reduced in space, and expansive areas for military schools, where a more spread-out space was preferred for horsework. Many written and visual sources preserve the memory of these laboratories where the jewel of French riding tradition was created and refined.