The Domaine de Méjanes is an “open roof theatre” in the heart of the Camargue, dedicated to preserving a culture, history, and heritage existing for more than 100 years. It’s also the monumental scene for events and significant moments lived and shared by all its passionate people. You are going to discover the story of Michèle Ricard’s husband, Paco Ortiz, through this special tribute.
Just like a Pilgrim must walk the path, Paco, lawyer and fervent rider undertake an adventurous journey in 2013 to link the Doñana Park in Andalusia to the Camargue Regional Park on his horse Manguara.
These two conservation areas hold ancestorial traditions and confront development issues due to their fragility.
Paco works with the Méjanes Club since 2006, when both parks, gems of the wilderness, were united.
On the 1st of May 2013, at the starting point in Villamanrique de la Condesa, Paco and Manguara take on their fantastic journey of 1700 kilometers. It will take them in 76 days, all the way to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer – twinned city – before joining up with Méjanes, the family’s domain.
At the beginning of the journey, Angel meets him up every evening with the necessary food for Manguara. This essential job will then be taken care of by Guillermo Martin, an ally to Paco in this adventure, and the great Seville restaurant owner, Sixto Tovar.
Manguara is a nine years old Hispano-Árabe and German cross-bred, exceptional horse. He is a real force of nature and has a powerful and rare bond with his master.
The days are long as they travel 35 kilometers on average, and sometimes even 60 km depending on the unforeseen circumstances. The roads aren’t designed for horse travel. The rider and his horse have to ride on the asphalt next to the high-speed passing cars and encounter parapet walls impossible to go over.
However, each evening, the warm hospitality of strangers and Paco’s friends is the promise of a jolly and memorable night. Manguara never sleeps very far away from his rider.
About 175km before the arrival, Paco takes a halt at our friend Robert and Françoise Margé’s place.
The last bit of the journey going from the Grand Radeau beach to the Raynaud manade is an incredibly intense moment of festivity and conviviality, shared by the Confrérie des Gardians and La Nation Gardiane.
From there, Paco is joined by friends and family and thirty riders belonging to fraternities and organisations such as Les gardians amateurs, Les éleveurs de chevaux Camargue, l’Amicale des Gardians professionnels.
The arrival in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is magnificent and moving. Roland Chassain, Mayor of the city, a fierce defender of the Camargue, presents Paco and Manguara with the grand title of Honorary Citizen. Paco hands out the Symbolic Parchment to the Saints-Maries-de-la-Mer’s church. One of Paco’s biggest dreams becomes true.
It was the greatest happiness to have been able to overcome all of the difficulties and tiredness that arose from this incredible achievement. One of the purposes was to raise the awareness of institutions and the public audience about the importance of developing tracks and structures to link these two protected areas.
In July 2013, Paco and Manguara finally arrive in front of the Méjanes’s Cross before entering the arenas a few moments later. That year’s festival is dedicated to the 1000 years of the Domain’s existence. A symbol!
For two days, the “Horse-riding People” from Spain and Camargue perform and let the public discover their cultures and equestrian traditions.
In 2015, Paco is back on the road riding Manguara with two other riders on their Camargue horses to meet up in Amposta with the Delta Horse-Drawn Carriages organisation. This symbolic meeting reuniting the three deltas ( Guadalquivir, Ebre, Camargue) is organized by the Doñana, Ebre, and Camargue Park.
In 2016, the Delta Horse-Drawn Carriages go on the road from Amposta to ride all the way to the Doñana Park. It is inevitably going to take a long time before the tracks are developed.
However, we learned in Méjanes that all dreams could come true.
