Poitevin horse
FAO (2007): endangered-maintained[1]: 44 | |
Other names |
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Country of origin | France |
Distribution | Poitou |
Use | breeding mules |
Traits | |
Weight |
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Height | |
Colour | any colour but pied |
The Poitevin (French pronunciation:
The Poitevin is an
History
The Poitevin originated in the marshlands of the
On 1 January 1599,
At the end of the eighteenth century, the French government tried to impose a system of crossing Poitevin horses with lighter-weight
Production of mules
Poitevin mares were crossbred with
Although the Poitevin was not the only breed of horse used for the production of mules, the Poitou mule was known worldwide.[18][19] They were in high demand in the United States from the late nineteenth century until the beginning of World War I.[16]: 28 During the 1920s, livestock production began to decline.[14]: 2 In the Deux-Sèvres region, especially in the district of Melle, near Luçon and Saint-Maixent, mule breeding began to be concentrated in ateliers (workshops), which were relatively expensive for breeders.[16]: 28 [18]
Nineteenth century
Poitevin colts and fillies were sold at fairs in Marans, Nuaillé, Surgères, Rochefort, Pont-l'Abbé and Saujon.[6]: 396 In 1867, there were 50,000 pure and crossbred mares.[14]: 18 By the early twentieth century, there were tens of thousands of Poitevins in France,[15]: 125 but numbers later fell.[14]: 18 Poitevin colts, which were not used for the breeding of mules, were considered "soft" and less valuable than the major draft horse breed of the nineteenth century – the Percheron. Some horse dealers purchased young gray Poitevin horses, fed them heavily to make them larger and stronger, and then sold them at the age of four as Percherons. These "Percherons" were transported to areas such as Saintonge, Yonne, Nivernais and Gâtinais.[20]: 533
In the nineteenth century the Poitevin received some intromission of other blood: early in the century, a few Percheron stallions were introduced to the breeding area; between 1860 and 1867, about ten Bourbourienne stallions were used; in the middle years of the century, more substantial use was made of Breton stallions, a practice supported by some breeders and criticised by others.[3] The Breton influence tended to make the head more square and the ears shorter;[17]: 561 [18] the Poitevin lost weight without gaining anything else, the legs became too long and too thin, and gray became more common as a coat color.[17]: 561 In 1860, Eugene Gayot called the mares of the breed "heavy, common, soft and of medium size".[18] Breeders chose horses with large joints, thick coats and a high croup, and had a preference for a black coat color.[6]: 396 [18]
In 1861, there were concerns that the old-style Poitevin was becoming extinct, and questions about whether the Poitou mule retained the quality that it previously had.
The studbook for the Poitevin horse was created by the Société Centrale d'Agriculture des Deux-Sèvres on June 26, 1884,[16]: 44 with a horse section and a donkey section.[22] The first edition was released December 31, 1885,[16]: 44 setting the physical criteria for breeding, and ending the practice of promoting crossbred horses as purebreds. It also marked the end of government intervention against the mule breeding industry, although bonuses were paid to encourage farmers to breed purebred horses.[14]: 14–16 In 1902, a breeding syndicate to promote Poitou mules was created, but disappeared after a lack of advertising by stock breeders. On August 6, 1912, the French government released a decree officially supporting the mule breeding industry, backed by the purchase of mules by the Haras Nationaux and bonuses given to the best stallions.[14]: 16, 23
Twentieth century
After several revisions, the studbook was
In the first half of the twentieth century, the mule breeding industry collapsed with the advent of mechanization.
By 1950, there were only about 600 mares and 50 stallions left. Increasing mechanization and competition with other livestock hurt the Poitevin,[14]: 18 as did a lack of promotion and protection. Between 1970 and 1990, the population of the Poitevin varied between 250 and 300 animals, with an average of 20 new horses entering the studbook each year.[14]: 19–20 By the early 1990s, population numbers fell to the lowest in history.[3][11]: 179 Sources are unclear on the number of living Poitevins in the early 1990s, but by 1996 one author says there were 64 newly registered foals and 28 approved breeding stallions,[23]: 390 while another gives a total population of 293 horses in 1997.[14]: 20
Conservation and genetic testing
The breed owes its survival to a small group of enthusiasts, working with the French National Stud.
The Poitevin had a slight increase in popularity at the beginning of the twenty-first century,[15]: 125 and could count approximately 100 farms perpetuating the breed.[16]: 28 The association had around 300 members, as well as 83 stallions and 189 mares registered.[15]: 125 However, by 2006, the Poitevin was still considered the most endangered French horse breed, with less than 100 births per year[12]: 30 and a slightly decreasing population.[11]: 180 There is almost no crossbreeding done with outside breeds, in order to maintain the numbers of purebred stock.[12]: 30 In 2008, a second genetic study was conducted in partnership with the Institut national de la recherche agronomique; this study considered the Poitevin and four other French breeds to be endangered. It suggested making these breeds a conservation priority in order to maintain maximum genetic diversity among the French horse population.[24]
The studbook for the Poitevin is based in Niort,
The Poitevin breed has very low numbers. In 2011, there were 71 new foals registered with the studbook. The same year, 227 mares were covered, with 171 being bred to Poitevin stallions. There were 33 stallions registered and 80 active breeders. These numbers represent a decrease from the previous year. Over the past decade, the highest number of foals registered was 113 in 2008, and between 80 and 90 foals were registered in the other years.[13] The majority of breeding farms are located in the Poitou area, including Vendée (especially around Fontenay-le-Comte and Luçon), Deux-Sèvres (especially near Melle), Vienna and Civray, and some in Charente, near Ruffec. There are National Studs located in Saintes and Vendée.[11]: 176, 180 There are a few breeders in Maine-et-Loire.[26]: 124
The Poitevin can be seen at the Asinerie nationale de la Tillauderie, an experimental farm in Dampierre-sur-Boutonne in Charente-Maritime,[15]: 125 and at the Haras national de Saintes.[27]: 296 It is shown at the annual Paris International Agricultural Show.[15]: 125 Approximately a dozen horses are exported each year, mainly to Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. Some stallions have been exported; there is a breeder in Sweden, and another in the United States.[3]
Characteristics
The body of the Poitevin is slender for a heavy horse and longer than other French draft breeds. It stands about 165 cm (16.1 hands) at the withers;[11]: 175 minimum height for at five years old is 165 cm (16.1 h) for males and 160 cm (15.3 h) for mares.[3] It is slow-growing, reaching maturity around 6 to 7 years.[28]
The head is long and strong,[29] with a convex profile[15]: 125 and thick, long ears.[28] The neck is long and the shoulders are sloping. The chest is broad and deep, the withers prominent, the back long and broad,[29] and the hindquarters strong. The legs are well developed and powerful,[28] with large joints.[29] The Poitevin has large hooves, an advantage in wet environments, as an adaptation to the alternately hard and waterlogged marshes upon which it developed.[13] The lower legs are well feathered,[11]: 178 and the mane and tail are long and thick.[11]: 177 [28] The Poitevin is gentle, calm[28] and robust.[15]: 125 Historically the breed has been known for its slow movement and disinterest in pulling, although it can produce significant power if necessary.[14]: 17 The breed enjoys human contact, and shows intelligence, although it can also be stubborn. Prolonged effort is its weak point, as the Poitevin sometimes lack endurance.[28]
The Poitevin may be any solid
Uses
Although the Poitevin has the size and
As colts had no rôle in mule production, many were sold as two-year-olds, sometimes at the summer fair in the Vendée and the winter fair in Saint-Maixent, or to horse merchants in Berry, Beauce, the Perche and the Midi; in these areas, they were used for agriculture. In Paris, they were used for pulling omnibuses, while the French military used them for pulling artillery.[17]: 561
In the twenty-first century there is still demand for Poitevin mules, but under the recovery plan for the breed, preference is given to mating mares with Poitevin stallions until numbers have recovered.[11]: 179 [3]
The Poitevin may be
References
- ^ ISBN 9789251057629. Archived June 23, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 9781780647944.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trait Poitevin Mulassier (in French). Association Nationale des Races Mulassières du Poitou. Archived February 8, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 0751301159.
- ^ ISBN 9780691167206.
- ^ a b c Alexandre Bixio (editor) (1844). Maison rustique du XIXe siècle, volume II: "Cultures industrielles et animaux domestiques" (in French). Paris: Librairie Agricole.
- ^ . (subscription required).
- ^ Lawrence Ernest Harris (1961). The Two Netherlanders: Humphrey Bradley and Cornelis Drebbel. Leiden: E.J. Brill.
- ^ a b c Louis Edouard Marie Hippolyte, comte de Dienne (1891). Histoire du desséchement des lacs et marais en France avant 1789 (in French). Paris: H. Champion.
- ^ a b Historique de la race Poitevin (in French). Association du Cheval Poitevin. Archived November 29, 2012.
- ^ ISBN 9782855571546.
- ^ ISBN 9782844164599.
- ^ a b c d Poitevin mulassier (in French). Saumur: Institut français du cheval et de l’équitation. Accessed June 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Benoît Biteau (1997). Contribution, sur le plan de la génétique, à la sauvegarde et à la relance du cheval de trait mulassier (in French). École nationale d'ingénieurs des travaux agricoles de Bordeaux. Archived May 9, 2008.
- ^ ISBN 9782844163387.
- ^ ISBN 9782855571157.
- ^ a b c d e Louis Moll, Eugène Nicolas Gayot (1861). La connaissance générale du cheval: études de zootechnie pratique, avec un atlas de 160 pages et de 103 figures (in French). Paris: Firmin Didot frères, fils et Cie.
- ^ a b c d e Eugène Gayot (1860). [1] (in French). Journal d'Agriculture Pratique. 2: 67–71.
- ISBN 9782845618503.
- ^ Pierre Joigneaux (1863). Le livre de la ferme et des maisons de campagne (in French). Paris: Victor Masson et fils.
- ^ Eugène Gayot (1861). De la fécondité chez la jument livrée à la production du mulet (in French). Journal d'Agriculture Pratique. 25 (2): 439–442.
- ^ [s.n.] (June 5, 2009). Les 125 ans des stud-books des races mulassières du Poitou (in French). Cheval Magazine. Archived January 28, 2021.
- ISBN 0300088809.
- .
- ^ Association Races Mulassières Poitou (in French). Association nationale des races mulassières du Poitou.
- ISBN 9782844163387.
- ISBN 9782746923171.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Clémence Fugain (August 2010). Le trait poitevin, un nounours attachant (in French). Cheval Magazine (465): 48–51.
- ^ a b c [s.n.] (2019). Règlement du stud book du trait poitevin mulassier (in French). Haras Nationaux – Institut français du cheval et de l’équitation. Accessed January 2021.
- ^ a b Utilisation du cheval (in French). Association du Cheval Poitevin. Archived October 2, 2013.
- ISBN 9782844164681.
- ^ Anne-Claire Huet (September 10, 2011). Sur l'île de Ré, Rodin ramasse les déchets (in French). Aujourd'hui en France. Accessed October 2019.