Black is a 13-year-old white Camargue/Barb cross pony. Coincidentally, for at least 12 years he lived virtually next door to Ray.

	"I used to pass him in a field when I was on my way to Fouzilhon (a nearby village)," Ray recalls." He belonged to a M. and Mme Orciere, and their young daughter Christelle used to ride him.
Then when I was looking for a horse to buy, I looked in the Annonces Vertes (the local small-ads paper) and there he was. It must have been meant."

Black's comments... Black is slightly more dubious about the event. "I think Ray's raving mad, but his heart is in the right place," he commented when interviewed. "And after all, I won't be the first one to travel through the Cevennes with a donkey..."

Black, meeting with friends at the café in Gabian

As you can imagine, Black is very well looked after, and gets all the attention he needs. This includes regular visits from Ray's nephew, Yan Lapointe. Yan is a local mobile blacksmith and looks after horses in the area. The photo shows Yan making sure Black has new shoes before setting off on the journey.

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This photograph shows Black with Ray outside the Occitan Tavern as they prepare for the annual Occitan Pageant in Pézenas. The pageant is held to commemorate the reconstitution of the States of Languedoc in the mid 17th century. Ray and Black ares dressed ready to take a part in a play written by Cristian Jougla, a local vigneron and the president of the Gabian Cercle Occitan. Cristian plays the part of a 17th century cobbler, a 60 year old bachelor who has had no luck with his love life.

Photo: Arnaud Photographies St. Pons

Then, he meets a beautiful and high class lady, and falls madly and deeply in love for the first time. All is thrown to the wind when on the scene arrives an English cavalier who is in the area looking for wine contracts. The twist in the tale is that "l'homme Anglais", played by Ray, is in fact the devil… The rest you must see for yourself.

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