History of Mas Saint Germain

... date of birth of Cygale, Pierre's first mare. From an early age, Pierre would accompany his uncle Roger Gauzargues to his bull-farm on the land of Notre Dame d'Amour, adjoining that of Saint Germain, to the north of the Étang de Vaccarès.

It was really the pleasure of «giving birth» that led Pierre to buy his first mares: Cygale, Santenque, Saladelle de la Tour du Valat, Chapironne de Joseph Gallon, and his first stallion, Santen, from the Henry Dupuis stud at Le Sambuc. Before the breed's studbook was created, a stallion from the Grand manade and a mare from Rozière enriched the breeding operation with new blood.

Today, horse-breeding is run as a family, and everyone has their own mounts, which are essential for working with bulls and cows. Our mounts are used primarily to handle the herds, to sort out which ones are going to be used in the Camargue races, and for veterinary care.

The Camargue horse has a gentle character and a big heart. Thanks to these qualities, we also use Camargue horses for leisure riding and equestrian tourism at Mas saint Germain.

We were involved in the creation of the Camargue breed studbook, and we breed our horses in the traditional way, which preserves their natural adaptation to the very specific environment of the Camargue. The horses are bred in the wild, with births taking place naturally in the herd, under careful but discreet supervision. The horses live in harmony with their native land, which has shaped them over time...

The sixth generation began to make its mark on the family estate in 2005, which is unfortunately an increasingly rare occurrence in the Camargue. The enormous cost of maintaining the buildings, coupled with the exorbitant inheritance tax, is forcing many of the old Camargue families around us to sell.

A bit like that little Gaulish village, in Saint Germain we're resisting. As true natives, we have managed to preserve our heritage! The heritage of past know-how is still alive and well at Mas Saint Germain. In agriculture, thanks to André, the 2nd generation, who structured the estate and introduced vines and rice in particular.

Subsequently, Pierre continued to practise balanced mixed farming, which is remarkably rare in the Camargue, and also introduced the breeding of Camargue horses and bulls. The vines were replaced by pastures.

Monique has set up a rural tourism business, rescuing all the traditional and remarkable buildings in St Germain: sheepfold, dovecote, stable, manor house, bread oven, outbuildings for the gardian and the shepherd, farm workers' accommodation, cellar, etc.

All the profits from tourism are reused every year to maintain and renovate the buildings, and have been for almost 30 years!

Laure, Anne and Germain, Pierre and Monique's children, strive to maintain this fragile balance by devoting all their time and energy to the smooth running of the wide variety of activities that make up the estate.

Pierre, a gardian from an early age who had always worked with livestock, was given the opportunity to set up his own Camargue bull farm in 1990, becoming Saint Germain's first manadier. He was soon ably assisted by his son Germain, who has since taken over management of the manade. The whole family is on horseback when the bulls need to be cared for or sorted. Pierre and Laure enjoy working their horses in the herd, and Germain is responsible for taking the bulls to the arena to compete in the Camargue races.

The Camargue bull that achieves the status of “Cocardier” is an artist who plays a major role in Camargue traditions. He is pampered and respected. When it takes part in a Course Camarguaise, the Camargue bull defends the red rosette hanging between its horns in the arena for 10 minutes, as the shavers try to catch it. When the race is over, the bull returns to the manade in the meadow.

When you visit the Manade, we'll explain all the special features of this wild breed, the Camargue bull.