Do you know anything about French shepherds?

 Stilts were genuinely employed to facilitate daily life up until the turn of the 20th century, and shepherds relied on them to follow their sheep from above. 1936.

Moving about was relatively difficult in the once-poor region of Landes in southwestern France, which had very flat and swampy terrain and hardly any roads at all. Shepherds developed a special adaption for navigating the squishy, unstable heathlands; they

rode on stilts.

The five-foot wooden stilts, known locally as "large legs" or "tchangues," were attached to a person's legs and supplemented with a long stick, which a shepherd used to guide his flock and as a support when resting. A shepherd was given the opportunity to comfortably sit on this tripod. A shepherd may observe his flock from a higher vantage point while keeping an eye out for wolves.

The inhabitants of Landes were educated to walk on stilts from an early age and possessed amazing dexterity and balance, readily hopping, jogging, and even bending over to pick flowers.

In 1808, Empress Josephine paid a visit to the area. She was met by a group of stilt walkers, whose long strides allowed them to keep up with her trotting carriage horses.

The Scientific American Supplement, No. 821, September 26, 1891, featured an article about the stilt shepherds of Landes:

The shepherds of Landes... develop an extraordinary level of skill and freedom. knows exactly how to maintain his balance; he walks with long strides, stands tall, runs with agility, or does a few truly acrobatic feats like picking up a rock from the ground, plucking a flower, mimicking a fall and rapidly rising, sprinting on one foot, etc.

Some of the more eccentric aristocracy of French society adopted the technique in the 19th century when the marshes of Landres dried up and the shepherds' need to move on stilts started to diminish. Stilt marathons honouring the French agricultural history were staged in Paris at the turn of the 20th century.

Locals not only found it easier to go around, but the stilts were also apparently a very quick mode of transportation, comparable to a horse trotting. 1908.