The Camargue is a coastal region in southern France located south of the city of Arles, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône river delta. The eastern arm is called the Grand Rhône; the western is the Petit Rhône.
The Ardennais or Ardennes is one of the oldest breeds of draft horse, and originates from the Ardennes area in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. They are heavy-boned with thick legs and are used for draft work.
The Trait Breton is a French breed of draught horse. It originated in Brittany, in north-west France, from cross-breeding of local horses with various other breeds. It is strong and muscular, and often has a chestnut coat.
A gardian is a mounted cattle herdsman in the Camargue delta in Provence, southern France. The work is akin to that of the Mexican charro, the North American cowboy, the Tuscan buttero or the Portuguese campino. Gardians ride Camargue horses.
The Trait du Nord, previously also known as Ardennais du Nord or Ardennais de type Nord, is a breed of heavy draft horse developed and bred in the area of Hainaut in western Belgium and in northeastern France. Originally considered a subtype of the Ardennes, it was recognized as an individual breed with the opening of a studbook in 1903. Developed in the fertile Flemish grasslands, it was bred for size and pulling power for agricultural work. By 1855, the horses bred near Hainaut were considered by some veterinarians to be superior to other Flemish draft breeds. The Trait du Nord was used extensively in mining from the late 19th century through 1920, with lesser use continuing through the 1960s.
The Mérens, Cheval de Mérens or Caballo de Merens, still occasionally referred to by the older name of Ariégeois pony, is a small, rustic horse native to the Pyrenees and Ariégeois mountains of southern France, where the river Ariège flows, and northern Spain, near Andorra. Two general types, a small, light traditional mountain horse and a taller, sportier modern type, are found. Always black in color, Mérens must meet strict physical standards in order to be registered in the stud book. The breed is known for its sure-footedness on mountain terrain, as well as for its endurance, hardiness and docility. The French breed registry organizes regional offices, and partners with other national organizations in Europe to preserve and promote the breed. The organization enforces rigorous selection of breeding stock, with a goal of increasing quality in the breed. In the past, the Mérens was used for farm work, draft work and as pack horses. Today it is mainly used as a saddle horse, although some members of the breed have been successful in carriage driving. Many Mérens are taken on an annual transhumance, in which they are moved higher in the mountains during the summer and into the valleys for the winter. An old practice, it fell into disfavor, but has recently re-emerged.
The Poitevin or Poitou is a French breed of draft horse. It is named for its area of origin, the former province of Poitou in west-central France, now a part of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It was formed in the seventeenth century when horses of Flemish or Dutch origin, brought to the area by engineers working to drain the Marais Poitevin, interbred with local horses. Although it has the size and conformation of a draft horse, the Poitevin has never been bred for draft abilities, and has been little used for draft work. Its principal traditional use was the production of mules. Poitevin mares were put to jacks of the large Baudet du Poitou breed of donkey; the resulting Poitevin mules were in demand for agricultural and other work in many parts of the world, including Russia and the United States. In the early twentieth century there were some 50,000 brood mares producing between 18,000 and 20,000 mules per year.
The Camargue is a breed of domestic cattle native to the Camargue marshlands of the river delta of the Rhône in southern France. It is used for the traditional sport of course camarguaise, a kind of bloodless bull-fight, but not for the corrida, Iberian-style bull-fighting. It is one of two cattle breeds raised in semi-feral conditions in the Camargue; the other is the Brava or Race de Combat, a fighting breed. Since 1996, it has been officially known as the Provençal: Raço di Biòu.
A manade is a term used mainly in the Camargue area in France for a semi-feral group of Camargue cattle or horses led by a gardian, or herder. In French, the word manade dates from 1867. In older texts it also referred to herds of sheep, but modern use of the term is limited only to raising groups of larger livestock.
The Norman Cob or Cob Normand is a breed of light draught horse that originated in the region of Normandy in northern France. It is of medium size, with a range of heights and weights, due to selective breeding for a wide range of uses. Its conformation is similar to a robust Thoroughbred, and it more closely resembles a Thoroughbred cross than other French draught breeds. The breed is known for its lively, long-striding trot. Common colours include chestnut, bay and seal brown. There are three general subsets within the breed: horses used under saddle, those used in harness, and those destined for meat production. It is popular for recreational and competitive driving, representing France internationally in the latter, and is also used for several riding disciplines.
The Henson horse, or cheval de Henson, is a modern horse breed from northeast France. It was created by the selective breeding of light saddle horses with the smaller, heavier Norwegian Fjord horse to create small horses suitable for the equestrian vacation industry. The breeders' association, Association du Cheval Henson, was formed in 1983. In 1995 the studbook was closed to horses not born from Henson parents, and in 2003 the breed was officially recognised by the French government agencies for horse breeding. A hardy breed of horse, each winter the broodmares and youngstock from several breeders are let loose together to graze freely in the wetland reserves in France.
The Charentais and Vendéen are extinct breeds of horse from western France. They were bred principally in the area around Poitou-Charentes and Vendée, France. They were used as a mount for light cavalry.
The Corsican is a breed of small domestic horse indigenous to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, off the coast of south-eastern France. The breed was officially recognised in February 2012, more than thirty years after the process was begun. The stud-book is kept by a breeders' association, the Association Nationale de Race U Cavallu Corsu. The total population in the island is estimated at approximately 1000. Since the stud-book was established in 2012, about 100 animals have been registered.
The Brava or Race de Combat is a French breed of domestic cattle raised in the Camargue, the delta of the Rhône in southern France. It is bred specifically for bull-fighting, either Spanish-style or Portuguese-style. It is one of two cattle breeds raised in semi-feral conditions in the Camargue: the other is the Raço di Biòu or Camargue breed, which is not a fighting breed but is used in a bloodless bull-sport, the course camarguaise. The Brava derives from Iberian fighting cattle imported in the nineteenth century, and may also be known as the Espagnole Brava.
The Miquelon horse is a horse breed in the process of being characterized, established on the Saint Pierre and Miquelon archipelago (France), near the east coast of North America. It is similar in origin to the Newfoundland pony, and is probably descended from imported French horses, later influenced by the Clydesdale, Quarter Horse and Appaloosa. Moreover, it is closely related to the Canadian horse, from which it differs in size. The Miquelon, only having been studied since 2007, lives in semi-freedom outdoors during the warm season, and is mainly used as a trail riding horse.
The Barraquand horse is a French mountain horse breed that emerged from an ancient selection process in the Vercors Massif. It is believed to have originated from a small herd of animals cultivated by Christian monastic communities, particularly those associated with the Léoncel Abbey. Named after the Barraquand family, who developed their breeding practices from the late 19th century until the 1950s, primarily through the practice of transhumance. Following the bankruptcy of the original Barraquand breeding operation and the sale of a portion of their land in 1963, the breed was considered lost. However, it has been reconstituted since the 1990s through the efforts of various breeders and local institutions, notably the Barraquand family, the Vercors Regional Natural Park, and the Annecy National Stud.
The expression "Solutré horse" refers to the remains of prehistoric equids discovered near the rock of Solutré by Adrien Arcelin and Henry Testot-Ferry in 1866, then studied by Professor Toussaint in 1874. This discovery gave rise to a popular legend about hunting in the abyss, according to which Paleolithic hunters guided herds of wild horses up the rock to precipitate them into the void and kill them. In reality, these migrating horses were slaughtered by men at the foot of the rock.
Horses in Brittany have a clear historical, economic and cultural importance, since their introduction often attributed to the Celts. In Brittany, the horse, generally a Breton bidet, was mainly used as a saddle animal until the middle of the 19th century. As roads improved, most breeders specialized in draft horses and carriage horses. They mainly settled in the west, in Basse-Bretagne, Trégor and Léon. The Breton draft horse, a renowned working animal, was exported in large numbers from Landivisiau in the early 20th century.
The Merlerault is a formerly common breed of horse that originated in the canton of Le Merlerault. Bred under the Old Regime, this reputedly elegant half-bred was used to ride and pull tilburys.
A meat horse, or slaughter horse, is a horse bred for its ability to yield meat. Coming from draft horses formerly used for agricultural work, these horses are threatened with extinction by the mechanization of agricultural activities. This state of affairs has prompted breeders to look for new economic outlets. Breeding for meat horses was very popular in France in the 1980s, helping to safeguard these breeds. It has developed in Italy and Spain, but is declining in France, due to the further reduction of work activities with draft horses.
