About Christian Carde

Christian Carde was born into a horse loving family in Bordeaux and in his long equestrian career has served dressage competition from all angles. Aftergraduating from the renowned St. Cyr Military Academy, he joined the prestigious Cadre Noir de Saumur in 1965.

Carde competed in jumping and eventing to the highest national levels before he turned to dressage as the discipline in which he celebrated his biggest success. With the Budjonny gelding Solitaire Christian Carde was a French team member from 1977 to 1981, became French dressage champion in 1979 and was on the French team that placed second in Aachen the same year.

After his time as an active competitor, Christian Carde became French national team coach in dressage from 1985 to 1989. Two years later he returned to the Cadre Noir as their head rider (écuyer en chef) until his official retirement in 1999 after which Carde judged as an I-judge on several occasions.

Having been an active clinician in Europe and North America for more than 15 years, Christian Carde now spends his retirement in Saumur (France) where he trains his Oldenburger mare Milady (by De Niro-Feiner Stern).