At the Domaine de Méjanes, all the way at the end of the little path is a little white house surrounded with roses and wild hawthorns. This is where Jean Alazar lived for 23 years. A plaque engraved with his name is pinned above the door of the adjoined stable. Horse neighs, his smile, and his laugh will forever live on in his “little house at the end of the path”. This is the story of a memorable man that we dearly miss.
In 1976, Jean Alazar is a baker in Aigues Mortes. He is also passionate about horses. In July, he attends the Feria du Cheval de Méjanes and sees the Cadre Noir de Saumur’s riders and the show of the solo rider Carlos Pinto. The Olympic Portuguese rider’s performance leaves everyone astonished, and as soon as he steps off the “stage”, everyone comes to question him and wants to learn by his side.
That is how Jean Alazar leaves his bakery behind and joins Carlos Pinto in Portugal to learn in his stables for five years. When Carlos is asked about that time, he mentions how admirative he is of Jean’s will to learn and make progress. When Carlos goes to Master Nuno Oliveira, Jean always comes with him and attends the training. He fully gets involved, and the results are significant.
After five years of intense learning, Jean Alazar comes back to France and moves in the mas de Badet, owed by Mister Malatier for whom he’ll work. He breaks all the foals of his horse-rearing farm for eight years. Having a growing client base with many more horses put in his care, Jean Alazar moves to another bigger stable. He is now in charge of the mas de Dard’s stables.
This is where he meets Eugène and Xavier Guillot – whose father is at the time the Domaine de Méjanes steward – who bring him a mare to train.
The three men quickly get along, and this how the opportunity to bring his horses at the Méjanes’s stable arises for Jean Alazar on the 12th of July 1992.
The Endurance Horse Rider Cécile Miletta brings to Jean, her dynamic horse, so he could help her train it for the world championship. She wins the gold medal!
The horse is then sold to the Sheikh Mohamed Al Maktoum, the Dubaï Emir. This brings Jean to travel to the Emirates and later on receive in Méjanes, the Ashman Emirate’s young Sheik. We could see the two passionate men from completely different worlds, walk along the water near speaking about horses.
Later, it is another fortunate encounter that will influence Jean Alazar’s equestrian destiny. Mister Xavier Marie (future creator of the Haras de Hus) sympathises with Jean and puts him in charge of selecting and purchasing his German cavalry. Jean ends up somehow participating in the creation of the famous Haras.
Jean goes back and forth between Méjanes and Nantes to meet with Kevin Staut, the rider star of the Haras, and train his Mare , Sylvana. Jean is so enthusiastic about working with Sylvana, still a young and unknown mare at the time, that he tells everyone that would listen that she is the best and most beautiful mare in the world!
Jean often speaks to Kevin about his “little house at the end of the path”. One day, after winning the International Obstacle Race Championship in Montpellier, Kevin Staut shows up in Méjanes to spend the evening with Jean at the Mazet du Vaccarès restaurant. Pénélope Le Prévost and other rider friends go with them.
Following, Jean Alazar meets other great figures of the French obstacle race world, like Michel Robert and Patrice Delaveau.
Every one of them is charmed, just like us, by the caring, sincere, free, brave, and talented man he is.
In Méjanes, with the company of his partner Françoise, and surrounded by his horses, dogs, cats, hens, cocks, chicks, and his tamed grey tit, he receives his friends as passionate as him about horse training. All happy to spend simple moments around a meal, to share a sincere, warm, and friendly moment. Lots of laughs and convivial moments took place in his little house and his stables.
Méjanes was for Jean Alazar, a haven, his nirvana. The “mechanic” or the “magician rider” left us too soon, but he stays forever, one of the greatest figures of the Domaine de Méjanes History.
My deepest thanks go to Jean’s partner Françoise, for her precious help with writing his story.