Auvergne horse
Encyclopedia
The Auvergne horse is a breed
of light draught horse
from the Auvergne
region of south central France. It stands 143 to 147 cm (14.1 to 14.5 hand) at the withers
, and weighs 450 –. Coat colours are bay or seal brown
. It is used mainly for trekking
. It is not recognised as a breed by the Haras Nationaux, the French association of horse breeders. The standard is published by a breeders' association, the Association Nationale du Cheval de Race Auvergne.
This breed has been crossbred several times throughout its history, with several distinct breeds sharing the name "Auvergne horse". A small riding horse known as the "half-blood of Auvergne" was primarily ridden by the calvary
at the beginning of the 19th century, but has since disappeared. Other work horses of Auvergne were used as a means of transportation before the advent of modern roads. The work horse was crossbred to become a light draught horse and subsequent ancestor of the modern Auvergne horse. It was used for varying field work by the inhabitants of the region.
As with most of Europe's draught breeds, the Auvergne almost disappeared with the spread of mechanized transportation in the 1960s and 70s. It was crossed with other draught horses, such as the Comtois horse, and was used as a source of horsemeat. In 1994, an association was created to save the last remaining animals and to fight for the recognition of the breed in France. Since then, several actions have been levied to promote the continued existence of the Auvergne horse. However, the breed is still extremely rare outside of Auvergne. 200 were represented in a census at the beginning of the 21st century.
There seems to have been two types of Auvergnal horses throughout the region's history: the smaller horse, or "half-blood Auvergnal", was a riding horse destined to the light cavalry
; the common, "all-purpose" horse was used by locals until the improvement of automobile roads, at which time it was crossbred again to better handle divers agricultural duties.
used a "Auvergnat cob" for his battles. True or not, the Auvergne horse seems to have been popular in the Middle Ages.
In 1577, the Duke of Bouillon
mentions, in an Classical French text, that he rode an animal from Auvergne in leaving Turenne
: "I'm leaving Turenne, and I'm coming to sleep at M. de Beynac's home with Bousolles, Alagnac, La Vilatte, and Annal to whom I have given pages, Bouschant of Auvergne, all without any arms other than our swords, and all having this strong, bad horse; Bouschant had a little, rather good horse from Auvergne; my horse went with a large gate, not knowing how to turn and even less how to run ...."
The existence of the Auvergne horse is suggested in the documents from the 18th century which describe a little, rustic, mountain horse of oriental build
and rather closely related to oriental breeds. Under the rule of Henry IV
, the "barbe auvergnat" was a prized mount of cavalier
s, and according to tradition, the famous white horse of the king himself came from a farm in Barra, near Aurillac
.
It was Louis XIV who, with the creation of the French National Breeding Farm during the 17th century, tried to better the horse in the hopes of using it in his cavalry. To breed the horse, he called upon stallions of Turkish and Barbary descent, and upon the Frisian
and Dutch stalions. But, the crossbreeding was largely unsuccessful, mostly because of the poor breeding management.
Horse breed
Horse breed is a broad term with no clear consensus as to definition, but most commonly refers to selectively bred populations of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a very broad sense to define landrace animals, or...
of light draught horse
Draft horse
A draft horse , draught horse or dray horse , less often called a work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labour...
from the Auvergne
Auvergne (région)
Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...
region of south central France. It stands 143 to 147 cm (14.1 to 14.5 hand) at the withers
Withers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
, and weighs 450 –. Coat colours are bay or seal brown
Seal brown (horse)
Seal brown is a hair coat color of horses characterized by a near-black body color; with black points, the mane, tail and legs; but also reddish or tan areas around the eyes, muzzle, behind the elbow and in front of the stifle...
. It is used mainly for trekking
Trail riding
Trail riding sometimes called horse or pony trekking is riding outdoors on natural trails and roads as opposed to riding in an enclosed area such as a riding arena. The term may encompass those who travel on horses, on mountain bikes, or on motorcycles and other motorized all-terrain vehicles...
. It is not recognised as a breed by the Haras Nationaux, the French association of horse breeders. The standard is published by a breeders' association, the Association Nationale du Cheval de Race Auvergne.
This breed has been crossbred several times throughout its history, with several distinct breeds sharing the name "Auvergne horse". A small riding horse known as the "half-blood of Auvergne" was primarily ridden by the calvary
Calvary
Calvary or Golgotha was the site, outside of ancient Jerusalem’s early first century walls, at which the crucifixion of Jesus is said to have occurred. Calvary and Golgotha are the English names for the site used in Western Christianity...
at the beginning of the 19th century, but has since disappeared. Other work horses of Auvergne were used as a means of transportation before the advent of modern roads. The work horse was crossbred to become a light draught horse and subsequent ancestor of the modern Auvergne horse. It was used for varying field work by the inhabitants of the region.
As with most of Europe's draught breeds, the Auvergne almost disappeared with the spread of mechanized transportation in the 1960s and 70s. It was crossed with other draught horses, such as the Comtois horse, and was used as a source of horsemeat. In 1994, an association was created to save the last remaining animals and to fight for the recognition of the breed in France. Since then, several actions have been levied to promote the continued existence of the Auvergne horse. However, the breed is still extremely rare outside of Auvergne. 200 were represented in a census at the beginning of the 21st century.
History
As with other local draught horses, the use of the Auvergne horse has declined with the rise of mechanized travel. Defining the horse is difficult in the absence of recent scientific publications and official recognition. Documents mentioning the "cheval d'Auvergne" in fact speak of many different breeds which have rarely, or never, been recognized as an independent breed throughout their history.Origin
No scientific studies exist concerning the origin of the Auvergne horse, but there are several theories:- According to the Association of the Auvergne Breed, the breed is the distant descendant of the oriental races abandoned by the SaracensSaracenSaracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
in the plains of VouilléVouilléVouillé may refer to the following places in France:* Vouillé, Deux-Sèvres, a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department* Vouillé, Vienne, a commune in the Vienne department...
circa 732. Their horses remained in the same area (the departments of CorrèzeCorrèzeCorrèze is a department in south central France, named after the Corrèze River.The inhabitants of the department are called Corréziens or Corréziennes according to gender.-History:...
, of CreuseCreuseCreuse is a department in central France named after the Creuse River.-History:Creuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province of La Marche....
, and of Haute-VienneHaute-VienneHaute-Vienne is a French department named after the Vienne River. It is one of three departments that together constitute the French region of Limousin.The chief and largest city is Limoges...
) until the baronsBaronBaron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
of the country took possession of them. The horses would presumably been the root of those which had spread over the course of the following centuries into all of LimousinLimousin (région)Limousin is one of the 27 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.Situated largely in the Massif Central, as of January 1st 2008, the Limousin comprised 740,743 inhabitants on nearly 17 000 km2, making it the second least populated region of...
, followed by Auvergne, to become the ancestors of the Limousin horse, a close relative of the Auvergne horse. - According to Lætitia Bataille, a specialist in equine managment in France, the Auvergne horse was the product of the ancient Navarrin horse'sNavarrin horseThe Cheval Navarrin, also called Navarin, Navarrois, Tarbais, Tarbésan or Bigourdin, is an extinct breed of light saddle-horse from south-western France. It was bred principally in the plains of the Pyrenees around Tarbes, and in Bigorre, now in the Hautes-Pyrénées. It stood about 148–151...
crossbreeding with the ThoroughbredThoroughbredThe Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
. - According to the inhabitants of the Auvergne region, the breed is native to the region, and lived there "depuis la nuit des temps" (since the dawn of time.) According to their theory, it is descended from prehistoric animals who had simply wandered into the region.
There seems to have been two types of Auvergnal horses throughout the region's history: the smaller horse, or "half-blood Auvergnal", was a riding horse destined to the light cavalry
Light cavalry
Light cavalry refers to lightly armed and lightly armored troops mounted on horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the riders are heavily armored...
; the common, "all-purpose" horse was used by locals until the improvement of automobile roads, at which time it was crossbred again to better handle divers agricultural duties.
Antiquity to 17th century
If one believes the inhabitants of Auvergne, VercingetorixVercingetorix
Vercingetorix was the chieftain of the Arverni tribe, who united the Gauls in an ultimately unsuccessful revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars....
used a "Auvergnat cob" for his battles. True or not, the Auvergne horse seems to have been popular in the Middle Ages.
In 1577, the Duke of Bouillon
Duke of Bouillon
The Duke of Bouillon is a title of nobility. Until the nineteenth century, the Duke of Bouillon was the ruler of the semi-sovereign Duchy of Bouillon , a small state located between Luxembourg, Champagne, and the Three Bishoprics and centered on Bouillon.- History of the Duchy of Bouillon :The...
mentions, in an Classical French text, that he rode an animal from Auvergne in leaving Turenne
Turenne, Corrèze
Turenne is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Limousin region in central France. It is characterised by its height and unique position on top of a cliff....
: "I'm leaving Turenne, and I'm coming to sleep at M. de Beynac's home with Bousolles, Alagnac, La Vilatte, and Annal to whom I have given pages, Bouschant of Auvergne, all without any arms other than our swords, and all having this strong, bad horse; Bouschant had a little, rather good horse from Auvergne; my horse went with a large gate, not knowing how to turn and even less how to run ...."
The existence of the Auvergne horse is suggested in the documents from the 18th century which describe a little, rustic, mountain horse of oriental build
Oriental horse
The term oriental horse refers to the ancient breeds of horses developed in the Middle East, such as the Arabian, Akhal-Teke, Barb, and the now-extinct Turkoman horse. They tend to be thin-skinned, long-legged, slim in build and more physically refined than other types, but with great endurance...
and rather closely related to oriental breeds. Under the rule of Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
, the "barbe auvergnat" was a prized mount of cavalier
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
s, and according to tradition, the famous white horse of the king himself came from a farm in Barra, near Aurillac
Aurillac
Aurillac is a commune in the Auvergne region in south-central France, capital of the Cantal department.Aurillac's inhabitants are called Aurillacois, and are also Cantaliens or Cantalous in Occitan....
.
It was Louis XIV who, with the creation of the French National Breeding Farm during the 17th century, tried to better the horse in the hopes of using it in his cavalry. To breed the horse, he called upon stallions of Turkish and Barbary descent, and upon the Frisian
Friesian horse
The Friesian is a horse breed originating in Friesland, Netherlands. Although the breed's conformation resembles that of a light draft horse, Friesians are graceful and nimble for their size. During the Middle Ages, it is believed that the ancestors of Friesian horses were in great demand as war...
and Dutch stalions. But, the crossbreeding was largely unsuccessful, mostly because of the poor breeding management.