INTERVIEW VIRGINIE COUPERIE EIFFEL

Virginie Coupérie-Eiffel has been riding since her earliest childhood. The Aquitaine native has managed to live her life on all fronts, from high-level sport, to breeding, event organization with the Paris Eiffel Jumping to consulting. An established figure of equestrian sports in France, she join the committee of Experts for The auction Act II at the Cirque d’Hiver in Paris.

The Auction will be an exceptional evening, with exceptional horses, in an exceptional venue.

An event taking place at the Cirque d’Hiver can only be a successful event. This venue is made for shows, circus, animals, even horses : there are still some stalls behind the scene. Reintroducing horses into this mythical arena is a way to make the place talk again. I believe in the land, the building and their history. The Auction will take place at the heart of one of the most attractive capitals in the world and in a location where horses and show have a real sense. I like to find meaning in a story.

The fact that this sale will take place in the center of Paris, and not in the outskirts, is a very important thing to connect the event to the world. All the required ingredients to live an exceptional moment will be there : extraordinary horses, in an extraordinary location and the presence of extraordinary people (laugh).

My role is to help in the selection of horses, to invite friends and to embody the Parisian spirit. I think Christophe asked me to be part of this adventure because he needed a real Parisian figure to embody the project and who knows everything about the equestrian world. The experts team which I am part of has to select the performers who will be offered in the sale bringing their experience and personal story to the project.

All horses make human dreams. There is absolutely no reason that people who love race horses do not like sport horses and vice versa. We need to develop bridges between these two worlds. The Auction was inspired by the yearlings sales of which Arqana is a specialist. These events are not at all common in the equestrian sports but I think it is very smart to introduce sport horses to that model.

Creating a spectacular platform for the trade of top performers is an incentive and opportunity to convince owners to propose their young horses with an exceptional potential and proven track record at the sale.

« You can buy what you cannot buy. » The Auction Act II will be a great journey, for those who create the project as much as those who will experience it for the first time!