Descending from an institution created in 1665 under Colbert, the National Stud farms - like here the Haras National du Pin in Normandy - covered the whole French territory thanks to a network of twenty-three stud farms. Each was responsible for his constituency and all the stallion depots attached to it. They thus contributed to the development of the horse industry, both in the genetic quality of their livestock and in the breeding techniques. In 2010, as part of the modernization of the State, the National Stud farms and the Cadre Noir de Saumur merged and gave birth to the French Institute of Horse and Equitation (IFCE). The structure became the new public operator of the accompaniment of the professionalization of the equine sector.