The Poitevin is a French breed of draft horse. 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 Poitvin, interbred with local horses. Its principal traditional use was the production of mules. In 2011, there were just over 300 breeding animals, of which about 40 were stallions.
About Poitevin horse in brief
The Poitevin is a French breed of draft horse. It is named for its area of origin, the former province of Poitou in west-central France. 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 Poitvin, interbred with local horses. Its principal traditional use was the production of mules. In 2011, there were just over 300 breeding animals, of which about 40 were stallions. The horses may be of any solid coat color, including striped dun, a color not seen in other French draft horses. They are a slow-growing breed with heavy bone, and is not suitable for meat production. In the early twentieth century there were some 50,000 brood mares producing between 18,000 and 20,000 mules per year. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the government prohibited breeding mules from taller than 120cm, and threatened to castrate all donkeys in the region. The industry of mule breeding has existed since at least the eighteenth century, when it was opposed by the farm administration that was attempting to breed cavalry horses for French troops. The Poitevins are an endangered breed;: 44 in 2011 there werejust over300 breeding animals,. of whichAbout 40 are stallions, and about 40 are breeding animals, of which about 40 were breeding animals, and about 40 were breeding mules from taller than 120cm, and thus they can only be created through crossing donkey and a horse.
Some sources argue that at this point the breed was employed for agricultural and logging uses. Others state that they were not pulling horses, and were instead used solely for production of mules.Poitevin mares were put to jacks of the large Baudet du Po itou breed of donkey; the resulting Poitevan mules were in demand for agricultural work in many parts of the world, including Russia and the United States. It has the size and conformation of a draft horse, but has never been bred for draft abilities, and has been little used for draft work. It can be found in France and other parts of Europe, but not in the U.S. and most of its owners live in France or other European countries. The breed is a slow, heavy, slow horse well adapted to marshy terrain. It has large hooves, a calm manner, and a solid dun coat color. It also has large, hardy hooves and a calm demeanor. It may be seen in the Charente and the Vendée, but it is not known if it is used for horse-breeding in the Alps or the Pyrenees or the Alpes-Maritimes. In France, it is known as a “marsh of little Flanders” or “the marshlands of the Petite-Flandre” It is believed that a number of working horses were also brought from the Low Countries, possibly of Brabant, F Belgian or Friesian type.
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This page is based on the article Poitevin horse published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 01, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
