Constance Menard Returns to the CDI Ring at 2026 Aachen Dressage Days After 12-Year Break

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2026 CDI Aachen Dressage Days

Constance Menard, a former French team rider now competing for Israel, has made her long awaited come back to the international dressage arena after a 12-year break from CDI showing.

Menard competed at the Aachen Dressage Days CDI on 4 - 6 May 2026 with two horses.

Former French Team Rider

The 57-year old Constance Menard-Laboute is a former French team rider whose career had its highlight years between 2005 and 2008.

A daughter of the late French dressage trainer Jacques Henry Menard, Constance began competing at Grand Prix level since 2001. Aboard the Guelderland mare Lianca and trained by Michel Autran of the Cadre Noir, she became member of the French team in 2005 and finished seventh with the team at the 2005 European Championships in Hagen.

With Lianca at the 2005 European Championships

In August 2025 she got severely injured when a ball of forage of more than 300 kg fell on top of her. She recovered and continued to represent France the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, and the 2007 European Championships in Turin. She was a reserve member to represent France at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong.

In 2009 Menard declared for Israel and rode Lianca at two more international shows with the Israeli flag on the saddle pad (Cannes and Vidauban). Lianca was retired from sport in the summer of 2009.

Building a Business

In 2011 Constance joined the team of riders at Odyle Reynaud's sport horse stud farm Haras de la Ferrandière in Roman, France.

In 2014 she resurfaced in the CDI ring on the Selle Francais bred Oceane de Mesille (by Lawrence), owned by Patrick Vuitton. The pair competed one season at the CDI's in Nice, Kapellen, Compiegne, Caen, and Nice.

With Oceane de Mesille at the 2014 CDI Kapellen

Constance completely disappeared from the international scene after that. After being based in Marlieux and divorcing her husband she relocated back to the Paris area. She temporarily worked out of stable Mille Chênes in La Boissière Ecole near Paris and returned to the national Grand Prix ring in 2024 with Mylene Barthelemy's Lusitano Golias do Penedo.

New Horses for a New Chapter

In December 2024 her name came back in the spotlight when she received the ride on Friedrich Schiller, a 11-year old Hanoverian by Finest x Desperados, which Charlotte Chalvignac bought at the 2021 Hanoverian auction for 81,500 euro and sold to company "SAS HorseField," whose owner is a close friend of Constance.

At the Aachen Dressage Days CDI on 4 - 6 May 2026 Menard was back on the centerline of an international arena, dusting off her tails and getting a feel again of CDI showing. With Friedrich Schiller she finished 26th place in the Grand Prix. With the 12-year old Hanoverian mare Donara des Blancs (by De Niro x Furst Heinrich) she was 19th in the Prix St Georges and 15th in the Intermediaire I.

With Donara des Blancs at the 2026 Aachen Dressage Days

"I'm very happy to be back," Menard told Eurodressage. "They are new horses, so it was still a little bit tough."

When asked if she felt nervous, she replied, "no. It was like at home. It was very easy. Now the horses have to improve. It's their first big show. My horse never even did a Grand Prix in the national ring."

Still located near Paris, Constance left Mille Chênes after three years when the barn decided to go private.

"I found a new barn where I have only my competition horses," she said. "This gives me all the time for travelling and what you need to do with big tour horses. I'm happy to be back and I hope to get some results soon."