Can equestrian tourism be a solution for sustainable tourism development in France?

International audienceHorse-riding in France has become big business, as the third biggest sports federation with around 700,000 members (FFE, 2013). If the number of riders in France is the third highest in Europe, after the United Kingdom and Germany, France is considered as the number one equestrian tourism and outdoor destination with an institutional network at every administrative level in the country (national, regional, departmental), and around 1,600 businesses specializing in equestrian tourism (and/or stabling) and 60,000 km of equestrian trails (Atout France, 2011). In this context, horse-riding and equestrian tourism had been promoted by official bodies (National Resource Center for Outdoor Sports; Equestrian French Federation) as an important agent for sustainable development. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether equestrian tourism including outdoor riding, can really be a vector for sustainable development in France, corresponding to the " sustainability trinity " (Farrell, 1999) by integrating economy, society and the environment : contributing to a viable economy, social cohesion, protecting and educating people about the environment and environmental management. In order to question the equation of equestrian tourism to respond to sustainability criteria, we will analyze the involvement of local communities, capitalizing on the image of horses and equestrian tourism for the sustainable development of their regions, focusing on economic, social and environmental aspects. We'll also focus on the motivation of equestrian tourists themselves, by using numerous surveys conducted between 2005 and 2012 at both national and regional scales, combining quantitative and qualitative data