Lunéville. The Bayard Tour, the Saturday meeting place for traders

The Bayard tour, a historic tradition in Lunéville , resumed a few years ago now. A meeting eagerly awaited by residents every Saturday at the end of the day.

This tradition simply involves a draft horse pulling a carriage through the city to collect used glass from shopkeepers. It's a symbolic, but above all, environmentally friendly, effort. The 10-kilometer, approximately two-hour tour collects approximately one ton of glass from the 19 participating shopkeepers.

Surprisingly, the horse pulling the carriage is named Bayard, a sign of fate, coincidence, or a deliberate wink, no one really knows. "We had a draft horse, the tour had been stopped, his name was Bayard, nothing was missing," begins Jérémy Duhoux, the coachman for the day.

Scheduled for around 4 p.m., the outing of nine-year-old Bayard is the result of extensive preparation, even though he has been on this tour for five years. "Between checking the equipment, picking up Bayard—who is boarding at La Galopade —and taking him out of his playpen, taking him away, and then getting him ready, it takes a good hour," explains Jérémy Duhoux.

And after that, Bayard wanders around the equestrian city, with a whole team at his beck and call: a coachman, at least two pairs of arms to load the glass, empty it into the bins provided for this purpose and stand in front of the stationary horse.

Like a star, Bayard has his picture taken and is petted. "He's not afraid of cars, but the fire engine siren and manhole covers make him stop and be more careful," says the coachman.

The animal will have two months of vacation at the end of the year, when it starts to get too cold. "It's the bare minimum," laughs Jérémy Duhoux.

During the week, he rests in the field with "his girlfriend," Kantia. This 3-year-old mare might one day take over. "They've already shot together; it's funny to see them both."