The Bécancour Equestrian Complex in Bécancour, QC, is the culmination of a dream envisioned by long-time horse enthusiast Francois Pepin and brought to life by three entrepreneurs: Jean-Claude Parr, a chicken and pork farmer and owner of four hardware stores where Pepin was a general manager; and businessmen Steve Garceau and Mustapha Berri.
The sprawing complex sprang up on the site of an old golf course, which perhaps seemed like an unlikely place for a world-class equestrian centre. With $11.2 million in projected construction costs and $5 million in corporate loans and grants from the Quebec Ministry of Tourism, and with Pepin at the helm as project manager, they got the nod to proceed in January of 2018.
The result is a stunning multipurpose property centrally located between Montreal and Quebec City that features three competition barns that can house 266 horses, plus temporary stabling for another 140; room for 5,000 spectators, with 1,200 seats in the main grandstand; eight outdoor competition arenas, and two warm-up areas. One of the two spacious indoor arenas, along with two of the stables, are heated using biomass (wood pellets) which allows year-round operation and comfort with less detrimental effect to the environment than fossil fuels. Locker rooms for riders house showers and toilets. The unique site offers lots of other options for riders and families, with 144 hookups for camping and RVs, golf (nine holes of the original Club de Golf de Gentilly course were retained), breeding farm tours, a steak house, a cafe, and bicycle paths.
Bécancour executive director Martine Fortin (former Bromont operations manager) says that the facility has been hosting horse shows since April of 2019, beginning with an EC gold hunter/jumper show and a bronze driving competition. Upcoming shows include reining, which is very popular in Quebec, Young Riders, breed shows, barrel racing, gymkhana, and an Extreme Cowboy event.
The venue recently held the very successful hunter/jumper tournaments CSO Bécancour 1 and 2 which also featured the RCMP Musical Ride. Show organizer Dominique Chagnon commented, “It was fantastic to run a show on such a great venue. The new Soltek footings proved to be a real five-star level when we received fifty mililitres of rain in thirty minutes last Saturday. We stopped the show at 10:30 a.m. and were back showing at 2:00 p.m. with very, very good conditions. We ran the Desjardins Hunter Derby as if we never had rain. We are very lucky to have access to this facility and very thankful to the owners that built this first-class venue.”
For more information, visit complexeequestre.com
