Sylvain Salaméro

Farmer and horse breeder - Agrotourism

Lover of horses and the Pyrenees, Sylvain is committed to the development of ecotourism on a daily basis. A breeder of Merens and Castillonais horses, he shares his passion and has developed a respectful agro-tourism program around horse riding and the Cathar Pyrenees. Breeder, teacher and rider, president of the Tourist Office… He is a passionate ambassador for his region, its traditions and its emblematic horses.

Sylvain Salaméro

He loves

Horses and nature
Outdoor sports
The great outdoors

A passionate profession

A farmer and stockbreeder, he has developed a tourism component within his farm, based around agrotourism, offering horse-riding holidays for adults (transhumance, trekking) as well as courses for children with a more traditional equestrian center activity.

In addition to farming, he studied geography, specializing in tourism and agriculture.

Having grown up in Mirepoix, this competition rider and riding instructor, although not the son of farmers, settled in the area and was soon entrusted with Mérens by the breeders. As a young rider, he was particularly interested in these local, rustic breeds, which are little-known because of their unique characteristics.

Tell us about

Merens horse

I knew them from seeing them in the mountains; they’re the local animals. As a rider, I find them interesting. They’re more hardy, more robust breeds, which need to be approached differently from classic horses, but which have a rare genetic heritage, shaped by nature. At the equestrian center, we only have local breeds, so up to galop 7, they’re great for riders learning different disciplines (jumping, dressage…). Their preferred discipline? They’re perfectly suited to trail riding; they’re carriage horses, and they’re French champions in carriage driving! And they were French champions in TREC (Techniques de Randonnée Équestre de Compétition).

Basically, they’re farm animals, so they’re used for everything, and I think that’s their great quality! In terms of temperament, there’s a bit of everything – it’s like people, it’s hard to make generalizations. But people often think they’re suitable for beginners, but as with all horses, they’re animals that require technique and need to be trained by professionals, especially as they’re strong. But they are cool-headed and react with a certain intelligence to situations where other horses might panic. That’s their great strength!

Tell us more

your Cathar Pyrenees

It’s a great place to live, with pleasant villages that offer a real quality of life. I’m thinking in particular of the bastide town of Mirepoix, which is not only sumptuous, but where there’s always something to do!

It’s a rural area with producers and a whole network of farmers’ markets like the one in Léran or Lavelanet, which are great places to discover local produce…

And it’s an extremely diverse region. From the plains, where it’s warm even in winter, because we’re on the edge of the Mediterranean influence, to the mountains, which rise to over 2,000 m and offer mountain activities, via Montbel, where you can enjoy water sports, a network of rivers and greenways that are great for cycling. For us hikers, it’s great because we can work in all seasons. As soon as it’s hot, we’re up in the mountains, and as soon as it’s colder, we’re back down! It’s this diversity that seems to me to characterize the region.

It’s also an area where there are still wide-open spaces, these great mountain spaces that are very sparsely populated, with very little human activity, apart from livestock farming in summer. There’s a lot of space and not too many tourists. I love living here: I’m 1 hour from the sea, 20 minutes from the mountains and 15 minutes from Montbel, where I can go kitesurfing. As a big fan of outdoor sports, I can do everything here: kitesurfing, skiing, cycling, horse riding… It’s the ideal spot. And if in the evening I feel like eating in a good restaurant, all I have to do is go to Mirepoix or Léran.

It’s a pleasant place to live, it’s soft and welcoming and I don’t want to go anywhere else, it’s as simple as that!

Your secrets...

Things to see and do

Themedieval city of Mirepoix is a must-see. But there really are a myriad of places to see: therock church at Vals, the waterfalls at Roquefort… I’m also thinking of the Château de Roquefixade and the climbing cliffs beneath it, with views of the entire Pyrenees chain. After that, it all depends on when you come!

But my secret place is at home! My farm is at the top of a hill, overlooking the Pyrenees. Every morning, I enjoy the sunrise over the mountains. Sometimes the mist in the valley turns orange, as the sun passes overhead with the peaks in the background. You see, I don’t even need to take my car…

For gourmets

You have to try the vegetable mirepoix! And afterwards a typical Ariège dish, azinat for example, which is a very nice winter dish!

My personal spot is L’Autre Jardin in Mirepoix, because it’s not far from where I live and it makes the most of local produce in an inventive way. I also like to go to Le Casti to enjoy the atmosphere in the heart of the bastide with a drink and some tapas.

And there are plenty of good restaurants in the area, like Dinanga in Léran or Restaurant Llobet in Camon…

On horseback

Le cheval de Mérens dans les Pyrénées Cathares

Horseback riding

Transhumance en Pyrénées Cathares