It is with much sadness that Bettina Drummond reports the passing of Jean Peigne. He passed away peacefully after a long fight with Alzheimer’s disease. Peigne was well known, not only for his horsemanship, but also for the quality of the horses he bred.
“He was a sensitive, sparse man. I am honored that he often said I was a spiritual daughter to him,” Bettina said. “I first me Jean Peigne when he came to see my tribute for Maitre Oliveira on the famous stallion Levante. Retired in France, I performed one last time the demonstration ride I had always presented for special guests in Portugal and Jean and his son were spectators. Jean was moved to tears and invited me to visit his stud farm in Le Cellier close to the Loire. At the time, I had not replaced my defunct Lusitanos and only had my Thoroughbred Fidelio and one PRE to ride.”
“We met the following spring,” Bettina continued. “And I saw a two-year-old silhouetted against the sky on top of a hill two fields away. Just from her regal look and graceful walk I turned to Jean and said that’s the one I want to wit he answered, ‘she is our best mare and not for sale.’ But later, as she galloped past us, she stopped and held up arching her neck to look me up and down. Jean then said to me, ‘she’s never done that before.’ I then presented Trouvère in public and for television. Seeing his stallion work, he patted my thigh and said, ‘the mare, she is yours. I want to see one of my horses ridden like that once in my lifetime.’ It was the beginning of many years of having the privilege of walking his fields and watching his foals who loved him crowd around him for attention. We would then discuss the pairings for the years to come and I had the job of negotiating between his vision and that of Bernard, his son and partner. When I purchased my stallion Ilyad from Bernard’s side of the stick, he asked me to help him refine his riding and I also was able to teach Jean on his beloved Trouvère. Jean always would end smiling in enchantment at the feel he would grasp during the lessons and shaking his head would say, ‘if only I had met you when I was still young enough to be a good rider!’
I think of his comment now when riders who watch me now say how impressed are they with what I can still do with these marvelous horses. I say, ‘you ought to have seen me when I rode them well in my youth!’
Jean and I would sit at the end of the day giggling over the great joy of being able to spend our days surrounded by fine, sensitive, elastic Lusitanos. He also said to me a great truth that one must be born with a soul of a breeder in order to have that connection. I was to go on and live that thoroughly and well regardless of sport criteria. I have never forgotten it and the day before I got the news of his passing, I was watching the great mare Granada du Plessis that he bred and I was thinking again how beautiful it was to watch her suppleness even now at 22. I thought about the generosity of her breeder in making possible to have had such an amazing partner and soulmate and thanked him as I always did in my mind. Jean I hope you will still get that inner glow when you look in on your child Mimi and I – still together in the right way, with hearts and soul entertained with our work the way you loved.”