Baptiste Loisset

Baptiste’s parents were François Loisset, whose occupation was recorded as "nailsmith" in official documents, and Magdaleine, née Hugot.

Eleven years old, he stayed temporarily with the equestrian company of Jacques Tourniaire (1772-1829) for the festivities of "Napoléon’s Day" in Salzburg, Austria. There, young Baptiste had his first taste of horsemanship under the tutelage of Tourniaire or one of his horsemen.

As for Baptiste Loisset, he created his own company, which quickly acquired a great reputation for the quality and elegance of its performances—which reflected indeed Baptiste Loisset’s refined personality.

Loisset toured mostly in the German states and Scandinavia, and of course in The Netherlands, where his company was based.

In 1844, probably to unburden himself, Loisset joined forces with Paul Cuzent (1812-1856) and Jean Lejars (†1848), who had just left the Parisian company of Louis Dejean, the famous circus entrepreneur who owned and managed the prestigious Cirque Olympique and the brand-new and already fashionable Cirque des Champs-Élysées in Paris.