Breton Horse

Breton Horse : The Breton is a draft horse with great strength and durability that is native to France. It is an ancient breed old over thousands of years. Brittany is a province in northwest France and origin place of this breed.

There are many theories about its history. One theory is that they might be developed when Aryans migrated to France and brought horses with them. Another theory is that maybe smaller horses were bred by Celtic warriors in the period of their invasion of Great Britain. However, Brittany is known about their breeding skills for good horses since the Middle Ages, developing distinctive breeds including the Breton horse in the Breton mountains

. During this period Oriental horses were crossed with native mountain horses, which resulted with a military horse, known as the Bidet Breton with a comfortable gait that is something between an amble and a brisk trot. The number of types varied in different time periods, from two to four, is more or less heavy and used as packhorses Sommier and Roussin, amblers, for riding and driving.

The influence of many crossbreeds through the centuries resulted in a breed that is well adapted to the economic needs in the country. These crosses included Boulonnais, Percheron and Ardennais horses and at the beginning of the 20th century, Brittanys breeders focused on the genetic program. At that time was produced the famous Postier Breton by crossing mares with Norfolk stallions. In 1909 was founded an open studbook which was officially closed in 1951 in order to the preservation of the purity of the breed.