December 2, 2013, Paris, France ~ On November 18, 20,000 horses and riders took to the streets of Paris to protest against the rise of  the T.V.A. –  Valued Added Tax – which is slated to be raised January 1, 2014 from the present rate of 7%-20% for all services at equestrian centers in France. On foot or on horseback, the demonstrators departed from the Place d’Italie and crammed the major squares such as the Place Bastille and the Place des Nations with signs on their mounts and in their hands against the increase. The rise in the tax will be a huge negative to many struggling centers that are given the sanction to uphold the riding skills of the nation. Furthermore, raising the tax is estimated to cause the closure of 2,000 training centers out of 7,000 in operation, and the loss of 6,000 employees, and might cause as  many as 80,000 horses to be deployed from the centers, many of which would have to be destroyed.  France has about 700,000 horse – riding instructors and 2.3 million riding enthusiasts, 82% of them women. Horse riding is the third most popular sport in France.”