Job profile: Republican Guard cavalryman

Presentation of the Republican Guard cavalry regiment

The missions of a Republican Guard cavalryman

A unit attached to the National Gendarmerie, the Republican Guard ensures the honor and security missions of the State such as escorts, the protection of national palaces (ministries, Élysée, Matignon, Senate, etc.) and representations related to the cultural influence of the Nation.

In addition to these missions, the cavalry regiment must more specifically:

• Ensure public safety on foot and on horseback in Paris, at the forest areas of the Paris region and throughout French territory as needed.

• Perform site surveillance and crowd control during major political or sporting events.

• Intervene on a temporary basis on the French coast during summer or in Champagne during harvest season, for example.

The Republican Guard cavalryman does not wear his dress uniform every day since, contrary to what one might think, public safety missions represent the major part of his job, about 80% of his time. In a day, a large portion of time is also dedicated to the care, well-being and training of the horses.

To hope to join this elite unit, gendarmes must be in perfect physical condition and hold at minimum the galop 5 equestrian diploma validated by the French federation of equitation. An attraction to French tradition and discipline is recommended. To join the cavalry band, one must necessarily master a brass instrument, a skill that must be validated by a music conservatory diploma.

Long composed essentially of men, this unit tends to become more feminine. If previously, one had to measure at least 1.70 m to hope to join the cavalry, this height criterion was finally removed in 2014.

The selection of horses is as rigorous as that of the riders. They are chosen at the age of 3 and must meet criteria for size, coat color, and temperament. At around 5 years old, the horses are ready for service. They will be retired at the age of 15 to 16 years.

Since recruitment of Republican Guard cavalrymen is done exclusively internally, the candidate must have already passed the competition and completed their gendarme training. It is only after passing demanding tests that the future cavalryman will join the cavalry regiment training center located in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the Yvelines department (78) to follow training lasting four to six months depending on their level of equestrian qualification. During this course, the gendarmes will learn the principles of military horsemanship and will be trained in their future missions of public safety, escort and honor service both on foot and on horseback. The candidate will graduate from training with galop 7 if they did not already possess it before entering training.

The salary of the mounted gendarme depends on their status (officer or non-commissioned officer), their rank, their grade level as well as their family situation and marital status.

The Republican Guard can join the Cavalry directly upon graduation from the Gendarmerie non-commissioned officer school or through an internal competition after a few years of experience. As with any prestigious unit, positions are scarce and the lucky few are rare.

The permanent positions are all located in the Île-de-France region or in Népoui, New Caledonia in the Mounted Surveillance and Intervention Squad (PSIC) for a duration of three to four years only.

The mounted gendarme can advance by becoming an officer or by passing the ranks. The most distinguished riders of this elite military corps may also be called upon to participate in equestrian competitions at national or international level. Finally, they can decide to orient themselves toward the profession of trainer and join the training center.

After a few years of service in the cavalry, the mounted gendarme can also decide to join another specialty. This is uncommon since horseback riding is generally a true passion for all the riders in this elite unit.