cooperlola

Nope, you've got me stumped!  I'm thinking Holdens and High Sided Vehicles....

Ah-ha.  Another CAer in disguise, eh? My avatar is the giveaway.  Tee-hee.

Aw come along Cassis, no excuses now, you are just down the road!  See you in June?  To shoot the breeze with fellow sports' car enthusiasts and assorted nutters, visit us at www.clubarnage.com .

Her.  Petrolhead. No co-incidence I live in the Sarthe!

You are right, no, I'd like to find out a bit more about French traditional music too.  I do realise I'm unlikely to find a load of beardies ad-libbing in the local bar!  I will get onto that link, thanks.

[quote user="EMH"]    We opened a french bank account when on holiday 12 months ago so we could get a euro cheque book and debit ( I think) card so that it was easy to pay bills when were are in England. When we go to France we withdraw some cash (from the British bank) via the cash point by the front door of our french bank and walk in and pay it in. We only keep enough in the account for the few bills that we need to pay. I too was fed up with British banks charging between £15 and £20 to tranfer/send money to France, not so painful on large amounts but when it's on the smaller bills it mounts up. I'm not sure if it's the most economical way of banking ie: withdrawing from the cashpoint in France from an English bank, but it's easy and we only do it twice a year. We haven't used the card yet. Regards, [/quote]Do be a bit careful. Another account I had (Alliance and Leicester) charges a fee for each withdrawal while abroad and the rate is somewhere between commercial and tourist.  Nationwide is the only bank I have found which offers bank rate plus no fees.  There may be others.

You could try joining the ACO here in France - they offer a full range of recovery services and are good value.  They are quite used to English members as they run the great 24 hour race.  www.lemans.org

We have two incomes (occupational pensions.)  Ihave mine paid into CA Britline direct from the Pension managers and we use this money for French standing orders etc.  The exchange rate I get varies but is always the current UK commercial rate.  My husband's pension is paid into a Nationwide Flexaccount in the UK.  I then get cash out of an ATM here using our N/W Flexaccount (debit) card as they exchange at BANK rate and do not charge any fees.  We can then use this as spending money, or pay it as cash into a CA branch here then write French cheques.  A cheat, I know, but at least the money we've earned comes to us, not some bank!

Pigiron.  Sorry I have only just read this one.  Try Club Arnarge, a UK site but with quite a few France-based members.  We are actually in the early stages of talking about a meet with fellow CAers in the Channel Islands some time soon. Dick Smith : DTMs will be at the Circuit de la Sarthe (bugatti) in October and there is a World Series by Renault race coming up soon.  If you're ever around the great circuit, let us know.

Sorry so late in posting - don't usually read this thread.  See www.ffe.com - lists all approved riding stables, is rather like the BHS in the UK. Click on "Je cherche" and "un club" (left hand menus)

Anybody know if there is a French equivelant of the UK folk clubs here in France?  The Sarthe in particular.

Go to the site mentioned above (www.ffe.com ), Click on Info, then formation, then professionelles.  This tells you about a whole range of educational options in the equestrian field.  For gite owners, follow the above steps then click on "tourisme" - this tells you all the legalities about equestrian establishments etc.  Doesn't solve the ATE problem but as this is the French equivalent of the BHS, I assume the exams approved by them fit the bill!   As for farriers, the first I found did hot shoeing but refused to use the fullered shoes I had brought from the UK for my flat-foot pony.  I changed to another, recommended by a friend, who is more than happy to do remedial shoing but will only cold shoe!  However, he is prepared to listen to me and discuss the problems my little mare has so I've stuck with him. My vet says that many of the best farriers around here (the Sarthe) work in conjunction with big equestrian centres and poney clubs so unless you are prepared to transport your animals to the site where they're working, the travelling "cold shoe" blacksmith is often the only option.  Having said that, I'm delighted with my current blacksmith and the cold shoeing does not seem to have been a problem.   Samanthac, whereabouts in Normandy are you referring to as my farrier is based in the Orne.  If this suits, his name is Daniel Valet 02 33 83 57 49.  You will always get the answerphone as he is VERY busy but he does always call back.  He doen't speak much English though.

You want www.ffe.com which will give you all the information you need about qualifications etc. (Re the above, it will soon show you if your command of French horsey terms is up to scratch!  Quite a technical site but full of info' and local contacts who can help you.

Thanks for everybody's help on this one.  Popped into Lapeyre yesterday where they had a very informative display and found just what we wanted so are now in a better position to compare prices. Cheers.

I bought a new Micra from my local Nissan dealer (50% owned by Renault) - I was given coffee, treated well, and had the car in a week.  Price comparable with the UK and all the paperwork is authentic French, carte grise sorted.  They service it when I turn up, no appointment needed except in really busy periods.  I'm not rolling in money but I do think the hassle of trying to save a few euros is just not worth it. My UK Nissan dealer had said he could not get me a LHD model even though they're all built in the UK!

To add to the testimonials above, we use "Exclusive" and have been really pleased with the sevice, although we have only used it for a couple of GP visits, regular prescription drugs and dental treatment, all of which were quickly reimbursed (most recently, automatically when we used ours Cartes Vitales).  They are underwritten by All Seasons Underwriting Agencies, Registed in England No 3252680, Mark Lane, London EC3R 7HT, by the way, if this makes you feel a little more comortable.

Get a good accountant and they will answer these questions for you.  I use www.sfpn.com (English Speaking) - they will also be handy when you fill in your first tax return! - but I am sure there are others.

[quote user="Harley"]Thanks for that.  I am by no means an old hand at this and appreciate the help.  I hadn't thought of asking the vets for advice.[:D][/quote]In that case, I assume you won't mind me giving you a bit of a warning about the dreaded laminitis ("la fourbure" - think that's how you spell it!)  The grazing tends to be very rich in France and this horrible disease is particlarly common in ponies.  Beware of letting your pony graze freely on a large paddock - divide it up with electric fence "la cloture electrique" if necessary and allow your pony only a limited amount of land at a time.  A good clue as to if your pony is getting too fat is that you should be able to feel her ribs, (but not see them!)  If you can't, then she is probably eating too much! You will know if she is suffering from this problem because she will stand with her front legs stretched out and her feet will be hot.  You will also feel a strong pulse on the inside of her leg just above the fetlock joint.  Feel her feet daily and if they seem warmer than usual, move her off the grass immediately and only return her to a small paddock when they have cooled down. Your vet will give you good advice, I am sure. Beware of giving your pony "hard feed" (ie anything other than hay) unless she is working hard.  Laminitis, if it gets out of hand, can cause the pedal bone to rotate and pierce the frog in extreme cases, which is incurable, so do take care. Good luck with her and may she give you years of fun.

Thanks for the info' everybody.  Persienne was what I had understood but didn't produce much after a google search!  Pliant worked better.

A friend who has a holiday home here went into a tabac to buy a disc.  Guy says"are you English?" "Yes"  "Is your car UK registered?" "Yes".  "Oh, then you don't need one!"

I have had horses for years and had nothing but problems with their insurance from day 1.  A COPD (equine emphasema) was not covered after the initial treatment.  One bout of laminitis meant that was not covered ever again.  I now just have a "pony vet treatment" budget each month to cover mishaps and after 25 years I have saved a packet.  As they get older, they also get more expensive to insure.  However, my experience was all in the UK so it may be better over here.  I suggest you ask your vet as a first resort as they will have worked with a number of insurance companies and will know the best in terms of how much the clients can expect to be covered for repeat treatments of long-term ailments.  These are the things that will cost you the most money in the long-run. If this is your first pony, you can also avoid some of the more common problems by good management so do take expert advice (sorry if you're and old-hand and this sounds like teaching my grandmother!)

A friend of mine who is an obedience trainer and has had some success at Crufts so knows what she's talking about advises a cup of water thrown at the dog at the appropriate moment!  Much cheaper but equally humane.  Give it a go before investing in the more expensive alternative.

www.polytrans.fr should do the trick.  On line and traditional catalogue available.

Fixed shower heads also make the room/cubicle or whatever impossible to clean except in your birthday suit!  Personally, I would avoid them like the plague.

Can anybody tell me what the term is for the Volets which fold in the middle?  Anybody bought these and know a good supplier, Sarthe/Orne preferred.