“With horseball, I gained emotions and friends.”

Gironde is a land of horseball, a spectacular game that Romain Depons played for twenty years at the highest level before becoming a national coach.

T o talk about horseball starts with a definition : on a field (70 meters by 30), riders pass a ball around in the hope of putting it in a basket. In fact, it's a mix of soccer ball, rugby passes, and basketball hoops (the hoop and its net are in a vertical, not horizontal, position). A fast and spectacular game, played on horses sometimes at full power, with four players per team (and two substitutes) and two ten-minute halves for the matches.

The ball is fitted with leather handles to make it easier to snatch it from the opponent's hands, and if necessary to pick it up if it falls to the ground (dismounting from a horse is prohibited). This discipline is different from polo , practiced by an elite – notably in England – and which we know better (a ball is pushed to the ground with a mallet).

So what's the connection between this little-known sport—some 5,000 members, under the aegis of the French Equestrian Federation—with its distinctly Anglo-Saxon name, and our Southwest region? "The Gironde is a historic bastion of horseball. My father and uncle codified the rules in the 1970s," Romain Depons proudly replies. It was at Château Blanzac, the family estate located in Saint-Magne-de-Castillon, where wine and horses have always been one. For the two brothers, it was the desire to create and have fun, drawing inspiration from Argentinian pato, a discipline that has long been popular in this Latin American country.

“With this sport, I gained emotions and friends.”

To discover this game, meet at the Camiac Equestrian Center in Entre-deux-Mers for a training session on a Monday at 7 p.m. Everyone has their job during the day, and the idea is to come and relax in the evening, indulging their passion for both horses and competition. Romain Depons, who was the director of a Saint-Émilion classified vintage for ten years before taking over the family business, gives his voice. Mastery of the horse's race, passing with the ball, avoiding opponents, and throwing into the basket—everything is scrutinized and commented on. With an expert eye.

France finished second in the World Championship held in Argentina

It must be said that the man has experience: twenty years of competition – 1998 to 2018 – and multiple titles to his name, with his Bordeaux Blanzac Horse-Ball club, as well as with the national team. Several times champion of France, Europe, and the world. "With this sport, I gained emotions and friends," rejoices the man who is today one of the coaches of the French team. In March, the team finished second in the world championship held in Argentina, behind Spain.

The end of training is approaching, the horses and men are tiring. The races are incessant, the changes of direction are disconcerting, and the passes are quick and numerous, because a player can't hold the ball for more than ten seconds. "A good horse, well trained, gives everything, isn't afraid of contact, has a playful spirit, and keeps its cool," summarizes Benjamin Bodin when talking about his own, Baron Rocco, 14 years old and soon to retire. Originally from Indre, in a family where horses have always had a place, Benjamin arrived in Gironde in 2018 and discovered this discipline there. He too has won titles with the Bordeaux Blanzac team and with the French team.

"Our sport needs to evolve to attract young people. Team-oriented and versatile, always attacking and defending, it has everything to appeal to horse lovers," adds the man who recently broke a finger in competition while trying to steal the ball from his opponent. "We need to stimulate an entire economy around horseball by attracting sponsors. It's not easy," adds Romain Depons.

This is all the more necessary given that the sport is expensive: "Around 10,000 euros per year, between the upkeep of the horse – which belongs to us – and travel," he says. This season – October 2024 to June 2025 – involved seven long weekends of competition far from Bordeaux, with two matches per weekend (Paris, Deauville, Besançon, etc.). "Coming back from Nancy on a Sunday night, by the time I dropped off the horse, I barely had a shower before going back to work on Monday morning," cites Benjamin Bodin as an example. As we know, amateur sports practiced at a high level require sacrifices. But the young oenologist's enjoyment is there, and he rides his horse almost every day. He lives a stone's throw from the stable.

It's time to say goodbye. The players remove their horses' protective gear (knees and hooves). We have a beer with our friends, and the competition will resume this fall.