Lepoulailler

I used to sell ornemental poultry at market, and pitches varied from 1.50 to 3.50 per metre - more at the fairs or on special occasions.  You'll quickly get the hang of it. In the early days, arrive in plenty of time and watch where all the other traders go to meet.  If in doubt ask where you find the 'placier'.  Competition for pitches in peak season is strong - if you start early in the season when the weather is horrid, you will normally manage to build up a relationship with the placier and other stall holders and can often get the edge over casual traders just passing through in the sunny season.  Some days you will do the tour of the market and the spare pitches will be allocated, and quite a few folk end up going home without having found a pitch. I've got a proper market umbrella that I bought from one of the French traders and stand if you can arrange for collection (might still be able to find the table I used too - I'll have to check).  I'm on the Normandy/Britanny border.

Exactly what I was after.  Thanks heaps.

Does anyone know who to contact in France to check your credit history? Is there an online search facility somewhere? Thanks in advance, Peta

Thanks for the steer - unfortunately we are miles from Bergerac in Britanny right on the border with Normandy.  I'd love to take the kids (and me!) to an English style show.  I completely understand those who hanker for a good old British show, and find the French system frustrating to say the least (and for those who hope to convert the French to English style gymkhanas I wish them all the luck in the world - they'll need it!!!). But it is in France we live now, and I just want to get on with it and join in with the French, it's just a matter of not knowing where to look and who to register with.  If it means that to compete we have to have a papered pony, so be it.  If it means shows are different to those I have grown up with then... well, I know lots of great French riders who don't seem to have been too damaged by the experience.  Surely I am missing the obvious - there must be some sort of website with dates, who to contact for entries etc (is it hidden on the FFE site for example, and I just can't find it amongst all the jargon of D1, B2 etc etc?). 

Having only just got my head round (sort of) the French showjumping system for adults, my 9 year old daughter wants to go and have a bit of fun at a few shows.  She currently has an unpapered pony, although we are in the process of finding something with papers so she can have a go at PONAM.  Our local riding club are a bit wrapped up in the adult season, and if we wait for them to help us get things organised we'll have missed another year.  I've looked everywhere on the internet.  Where are the classes advertised? How do we enter? Is there anything available (other than the odd once or twice a year club event) for nonpapered ponies? Richardbk if you are reading this I know your daughter has competed over here - any pointers.  Where do we start? It all seems so much more official than the UK gymkhanas that I started with where you can have a go at anything. Any help would be gratefully received.

Thanks John.  I'll give them a buzz (I can't pop in, as I live in Britanny) - which town did you see them in? Peta

Thanks John.  I'll give them a buzz (I can't pop in, as I live in Britanny) - which town did you see them in? Peta

Not your usual anglophone website topic, but I've been asked to look out for a portacabin (ideally around 30ft), for a client whose got an ambitious build/renovation project near Confolens (will travel to collect if necessary). A mobile home won't do, because we are trying to tackle a disability issue at the same time. Anybody got one, or have an idea as to where I can start looking (I live in Britanny!).  Thanks, Peta

The French seem to have courses or 'stages' for everything, but we set up our ornemental poultry business without any agricultural qualifications (except my BHS exams) whatsoever.  It just means that we are classed as 'sauvage' (wild) farmers and can't claim subsidies etc etc. Peta

Hi Mick, If I ran a livery yard I'd do nothing but worry!  (only joking - not a very funny one at that!) Worry isn't the right word, because it is really not too complicated, but yes I'm sure you would still need to register with the MSA (Mutualité Société Agricole) to whom you would pay your cotisations (ie health, pension etc) as you should still be classed as an agricultural worker.  You will also need public liability insurance of some sort. There are no shortage of successful livery businesses in France, but you may note that they usually run something alongside - be warned that the cost of livery over here is nothing like what you'd get in the UK (for example - my mare is currently away at stud - still (aargh!) and I'm paying 8€ a day for her livery.  She is a big mare and will undoubtedly still be getting hard feed while she is away.  Not sure how profitable that would be for anyone, if it wasn't for the fact that I am also paying (and, in the next couple of weeks, probably about to lose) exorbitant stud fees.  Last year I injured my back whilst I was breaking a youngster and sent them away to continue their education.  I paid 400€ a month full livery, and had the use of an indoor, and two outdoor schools in the yard of a professional rider.  Had I been up to it I would also have been entitled to 2 free lessons a week as well.  From what I have seen that is pretty standard for livery across the board in this region (Northern Britanny). If you want to contact me direct with details of your project, your current qualifications (if any) etc I'd be only too happy to make a few phone calls for you if you don't speak French. Peta http://www.equusproperty.co.uk http://www.lepoulailler.net  

I'll rephrase that.  You don't HAVE to have a licence to ride out, but you do need insurance to ride on the roads.  Unfortunately many insurance companies will use the lack of a licence as a 'get out' when it comes to paying out.  Check what it says in the small print as to whether you require a licence or not.  Your household insurance would probably cover any damage done by the horse, but not necessarily if it was deemed to be your fault.  The FFE licence (you would only need a basic licence, not one for competition) is cheap and easy to get hold of, and then you would be covered in all eventualities. There are loads of people I know who ride for pleasure without a licence. Also, don't be put off by what I wrote above - my reply was in relation to someone wanting to run an equestrian business.  I would say that 5 horses falls very much into the 'pleasure' category... Peta http://www.lepoulailler.net  

Glad to help! I'll try to dig out the article I mentioned and translate it for the group, because they had a whole section on that sort of business and the implications.  Typically I think I pulled it out and put it somewhere safe because I knew (particularly in my line of work) it would be useful, but have tidied it away in my (very untidy) filing system. Sounds like a far safer bet than breeding (says she whose mare is at stud as I write! Silly moo...) - at least you've got a better idea of what you are getting.  Peta

Hi Riggy, Horses are now classed as a farming enterprise so you will technically be classed as a farmer if you are breeding.  You will need to register with the MSA (Mutualite Societe Agricole) in order to pay your 'cotisations' (a bit like your NI stamp - pension, social contributions etc).    We found the CERGIV to be very helpful in terms of advice re setting up an agricultural business when we first started, and if your business is likely to be relatively simple I would recommend them as they are quite cheap in comparison to traditional accountants. (We no longer use them as we put our farm into my husband's name and I have a separate business helping people source their equestrian properties in France and trade sport horses with the French - it got too complicated for the CERGIV as there international transactions and many things that the two businesses shared such as car, computer etc.), They helped advise us of the best tax systems for our particular circumstances etc (TVA and horse sales can be quite complicated, so it is worth getting some advice) and helped us with the copious form filling, getting registered with all the right agencies etc. It certainly helps to be qualified, and you can get any UK qualifications transferred by contacting the FFE - they now have someone dedicated to giving advice on the relevant qualifications and what they are worth.  If you plan to compete your young horses to increase their value you will need to hold at least your Galop 7.  Depending what UK qualifications you have you may just be able to get it granted automatically.  Failing that you may need to sit a test (practical and theory).  While my youngster was being broken I placed her in a yard (with an indoor school and 4 walls instead of schooling on the side of a muddy hill in the middle of winter!) where there was a Galop examiner.  She used to see me ride on a regular basis, and I sometimes helped with the kids when she got called out of a lesson.  I guess I was relatively lucky because she said 'yes, you are at least the standard of a Galop 7' (In any event I have my UK qualifications to fall back on) and signed all the relevant papers and sent them off.  I am sure there are assessors all over that would excuse any lack of french and do similar if your riding was up to the required standard.  Make sure if you intend to work with the public that your First Aid certificates are up to date. You need to hold a licence to compete (best way is either to contact the FFE direct or to join a Club and get them to do it for you - Pro 1 & 2 for the professionals; Am Cat 3 & 4 for those who compete for fun - Pro 1 being the most expensive and Am Cat 4 the cheapest), and you must also hold a licence to have any public liability insurance whilst riding out. You will need to ensure all your horses are correctly registered.  And be warned that to compete in affiliated events (aside for LETREC and endurance) your horse must be fully papered (a great bone of contention to me because I have a super little unpapered mare who would be great for dressage but who I can basically only use for hacking or fun events....) As far as any other insurance you may need, like most things insurance it depends what cover you want.  It can be ridiculously pricey to insure a horse for vets fees for example, but many farm insurances will automatically cover your stock against theft, death etc.  This really is down to checking with the various brokers.  Be warned that they vary widely in cost. What will you be breeding, and where are you likely to be selling? There was an excellent pull out article (in French) in either this month's Grand Prix or L'Eperon magazine, setting out all the new regs very clearly but I can't for the life of me lay my hands on it at the moment. Please feel fre

It's perfectly normal.  At least she's sitting on one egg.  Lot's of ours go broody at this time of the year when we are hatching like mad, and many of them aren't sitting on anything at all.  As said before, you could add some fertile eggs - but the difficulty now is that the chick inside the one egg will be one week into the hatching process if it is fertile (try going in a dark room and holding the egg up with a bright torch - sometimes it makes it easier if you do it via an old toilet or kitchen roll - it channels the light (or you could buy a candler...!).  If it is fertile and you add eggs now she is likely to do one of two things.  Either when the chick is born she will get off the nest and abandon the other fertile eggs, or she will sit tight on her nest, and abandon the chick.  If you decide to go ahead, be ready with an infra-red lamp to keep baby chick warm.... If you want her for the eggs, and don't want her broody you can try putting her in a place with a draft up her bottom end for a couple of days - an old trolley, a wire cage lifted off the floor etc.  Usually cools them down and works a treat.  Much depends upon the breed as silkies will come off the nest for a couple of days and then before you know it they will be back trying to hatch some babies.... Good luck with your hatch if you decide to go ahead. Peta http://www.lepoulailler.net

I agree wholeheartedly with those of you who pointed out that it is not all roses, but the original question was why we moved here in the first place...!  (By the way, we lived in the countryside in England too) I'm not knocking the UK.  I just have to spend a day or two there to know that I really don't miss it at all.  Sure, I miss family.  I still hanker for takeaways, ready meals, British foods, curry & spicy food (I can still cook my own though), internet and Sunday shopping.  Whilst I admire how they patriotic the French are are in terms of buying French and standing up for their rights, I also find many of them(without generalising) are frustratingly blinkered and miss out on many of the wonderful things of other cultures.  French bureaucracy drives me nuts, setting up a business over here is incredibly complicated, (and god forbid you should want to run two businesses at the same time), they like everything to fit into neat boxes, taxes and social charges are high.  I don't find that the cost of living is much (if at all) cheaper than the UK, but I have met few Brits who are financially better off in France than they were in the UK... As for the language, it takes several years and lots of hard work to be able to really communicate in the way that you could do back in the UK.  How many intelligent people that have worked hard all their lives struggle to find jobs out here.  It can be very isolating.  However, when all is said and done when I weigh the pro's and con's my personal set of scales fall heavily on the side of living here in France. Peta www.lepoulailler.net  

OK, I'll probably get burgled or the car pinched now I've posted this, and I don't live in a city centre, but here goes... Don't need to lock the door, doesn't really matter if from time to time you forget to take the car keys out.  The neighbours stop (sometimes a little too often when you are trying to work, but what the heck) to pass the time of day, and I am chastised if I don't do the same ('since when was it right for the old to have to go and visit the young'?!).  Everyone knows everyone else's business, in the nicest sort of way - a real sense of community, none of that living next door to someone for years but only knowing their occupation. Our children are a part of our social life.  They know how to behave at the table and I would no longer consider asking whether we should get a babysitter if we are invited out, even if it is until three o'clock in the morning.  Heavens above they even eat langue de bouef, andouille, and camembert.  I may be a bit perverse but I felt that a friend was totally right when he physically clipped his son round the ear because he passed an old man in the street (who the child did not know) without saying 'Bonjour monsieur'.  Old fashioned values that have long since disappeared in the UK. Everything stops for lunch (still takes a bit of getting used to) and a bank holiday is a bank holiday. Sundays are for getting together as a family and going out somewhere (remember that?). Family - yes, it is dead important here. I can drive without miles of roadworks or millions of potholes in the road.  If I or those close to me are poorly I know that I can count on them receiving a first rate health service - and alternative therapy is mainstream over here, not thought of something wacky.  I actually believe in (most of) the education that my (now completely bilingual) children are receiving. My kids play out like I used to.  They go for bike rides and picnics on their own, and have a den.  They can tear around their own fields on their pony - god forbid most people could even afford a field in the UK.  Aside from a weekly 'activity' each they don't have the stress of never ending after-schools clubs. If we do need out of school care, the garderie is open from 7.30am to 6.30 pms, requires minimal notice and costs around 65p per child. Oh yes, and plenty of space, space, space, green fields, fresh air. Of course there are downsides (yes, really), but you wouldn't drag me back kicking and screaming. Peta www.lepoulailler.net

Complex isn't the word, is it? Aargh... I think it varies a lot from region to region as well. It took me months to get to this point, because in our area they are now refusing all new applications for Agent Commerciales Immobilier and are knocking back any renewals.  (In fact my friend neaby had his renewal application approved by the same office, so I guess it also varies according to the interpretation of individuals!). A/C status is still fine if you want to sell vaccuum cleaners and the like, but in immo you must be able to prove that you have more than one contract, in which case you have the evidence that you are truly independent and self employed.  As I understand it (and I'm not sure I truly understand it) but part of the aim of the legislation is to protect A/C's who by the nature of their work act solely for one agency.  The argument goes that if that is the case, then they should be protected by the law and paid a wage, with all the sickness, maternity, pension entitlement etc that entails.... (Ooh, a salary - that sounds quite nice actually, now I come to think of it) I believe that there is nothing to prevent a consultant from basing their prices upon a percentage of the commission.  They can't however mandate houses, the work would need to be very much translation, handholding, before and after sales service etc.... Quite a lot of A/C's seem to be going down this route (I've spent weeks phoning round and asking), many others are now starting to charge their percentage directly to the client as a 'finders fee'.  And quite a lot of others are now being taken on and paid a wage by the agencies they have worked for for many years. I also looked at the possibility of setting up in the UK, but was advised by my accountant that if I lived in France and my business was based in France then (quite correctly) I should be running a French business with all that that entails. A bureaucratic nightmare... Peta www.lepoulailler.net  

I once tried to tell the vet that the dog had a bone stuck in it's throat and in fact said that it was stuck in it's ar*e!!! Peta Quote from my 4 year old completely bi-lingual daughter 'Maman tu casse mes oreilles'.... There is just no hope for some of us.

I agree wholeheartedly with the other replies.  Keep them locked up at night and you should be fine.  If you find they start trashing your veggies and flowers then consider systems such as arks, runs or, better still, electric fencing (great because it means you don't need to hurry home to lock the birds in after a night out.) No, there is no asian bird flu in France.  I would recommend getting a strain of birds that have been vaccinated against Mareks disease, and if you plan to show your birds (most people don't) then you will need to vaccinate against Newcastles disease.  Things you'll be more likely to need to keep an eye on are things such as cocciodosis (in young chicks & growers), worms, mites, lice etc etc.... Chickens aren't complicated and are great fun, if a little addictive....  feel free to e-mail me privately at [email protected] if I can help with any advice, Peta www.lepoulailler.net  

Do you just assist with house sales or are you an a/c who does  mandates etc?  I ask because I have recently worked through a similar minefield via the Chamber of Commerce, URSAAF etc.  Because I work privately for my own customers and also help a UK company with sourcing suitable properties for clients, subsequent translation and relocation issues, but don't mandate houses, or act as an estate agent etc (my remit actually goes much wider because I specialise in equestrian properties, and help with installation of arenas, stables, equestrian insurance, competition licences, horse sourcing etc...), they have actually registered me as a consultant.  Don't know if would apply in your case, but it might be a good starting point. Peta www.lepoulailler.net

Has anyone got any recommendations for estate agents that have provided a great service operating in and around Lille or near the borders with Belgium/Germany/Luxumbourg?  I know about the various search engines, french property mags etc - but I'd love feedback on personal experience. We have an increasing number of clients who need to travel internationally looking for equestrian properties/fine country homes in that area.... Any suggestions please? Thanks in advance, Peta

If you're fairly confident about your knowledge of horses, and prepared to take a bit of a risk, the season of the horse fair is nearly upon us.  The Foire de Lessay is one of the biggest horse fairs in Europe - there is nothing you can't find there, from ponies and donkeys to decent papered sport horses.  The foire de Gavray is another great place to go. Do go, even if you don't buy.  If you love horses it is the most incredible experience to see acre upon acre crammed full of horses and ponies being held on bits of binder twine by your sterotypical french farmers.  Be warned, I went to buy a kids pony last year and came back with an (unbroken, but now going very nicely) sport horse - oops, there goes our central heating for this year.... Look also in OuestFrance where there are ads every week.  Local fairs such as St Hilaire du Harcouet, St James, the Foire des Anes at Rennes, Ploubalay, etc etc.  This really is the season for it.  For better quality horses you also have all the auctions coming up soon, 'Vente d'encheres' (Look at the ADECNO, FENCES or FEDEB websites for example).  Try also the small ads for Cheval Magazine, l'Eperon (nearest equivalent to Horse and Hound) or their internet alternatives.  Cavadeos.com or Equiweb... google search on 'cheval'.  There are loads of things out there. Ask your local riding club, as they often hear of horses coming up for sale, and will have a good idea of your ability.  In any event you will need to see someone if you want to be insured to ride over here, as you should have your 'Galop' Hope that gives you a starter for ten. Peta

It's probably just a supermarket policy.  I did the rounds with our business cards for our ornemental poultry locally, and found that they disappeared from all the supermarkets within the week, no matter how often I put them up. Try the vets - our card is still up there (if a little ropey looking now), 18 months on.  And of course, all the usual like OuestFrance.  Many of the other French forums such as Total France, AngloInfo etc carry adverts (sorry Living France), for free.

And imagine... I found it stressful enough cutting my hay crop this year, and then watching the storm clouds rolling in for day after day of rain.  What if your cereal crop was one of your major forms of income for the year, or would feed your cattle for the entire winter, and the weather was on the turn.  Would you work those extra hours to make sure it was safe?....

They'll have been getting the 'ble' in (wheat).  Once they've started, they're up all hours trying to get it finished before the weather ruins their harvest.  Most farmers hire their combines by the day, and rely on the goodwill of other farmers to help them out.  They work incredibly hard at this time of year (my neighbour hires his combine out to other farmers and when I hear him coming in at all hours all I think is 'poor thing, he must be shattered'). I hope you're not going to grumble when they put manure on the fields shortly afterwards to replace some of the goodness the crop has taken from the soil.  That's what living in the countryside is all about.