Poitevin horse

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Poitevin
FAO (2007): endangered-maintained[1]: 44 
Other names
  • Cheval du Poitou
  • Mulassier
  • Trait Mulassier
  • Poitevin Mulassier
  • Trait Poitevin Mulassier
Country of originFrance
DistributionPoitou
Usebreeding mules
Traits
Weight
  • 700–900 kg[2]: 496 
Height
  • 1.53–1.73 m[2]: 496 
  • Male:
    minimum 1.65 m[3]
  • Female:
    minimum 1.60 m[3]
Colourany colour but pied
Stallion shown in hand at the Paris International Agricultural Show in 2012

The Poitevin (French pronunciation:

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.[4]: 271  In the early twentieth century there were some 50,000 brood mares producing between 18,000 and 20,000 mules per year.[5]
: 156 

The Poitevin is an

meat production
.

History

The Poitevin originated in the marshlands of the

interbred
with local horses.

On 1 January 1599,

Interbreeding between these various imported horses and local stock of indeterminate type led to the development of the Poitevin, a large, heavy, slow horse well adapted to marshy terrain.[11]: 176 [12]: 30 [10][13]

At the end of the eighteenth century, the French government tried to impose a system of crossing Poitevin horses with lighter-weight

Norman and Thoroughbred horses to create cavalry horses. Despite financial incentives,[3] private breeders protested because they felt that the resulting crossbred horses created poor quality mules upon further breeding. The changes also affected the characteristics of the breed that had been developed for work in its marshy homeland,[14]: 14–16  including large hooves and a calm manner. Some sources argue that at this point the breed was employed for agricultural and logging uses.[15]: 123 [12]: 30  Others state that they were not pulling horses, and were instead used almost solely for the production of mules.[11]
: 176 

Production of mules

Poitevin mares were crossbred with

castrate all donkeys in the region.[14]: 14–16  In the 1860s Eugene Gayot [fr] noted that the heavy mares from the Poitou marshes produced the best mules, probably because of their heavy bone structure.[11]: 178 [17]

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 

Poitevin stallion in an engraving of 1877

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.

studbook.[14]
: 14–16 

An 1861 illustration of an Anglo-Poitevin

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

closed in 1922 after registering 424 foundation horses. The closing of the studbook brought about additional purebred breeding and selection based on conformation, color and working ability.[14]: 14–16  In 1923, an association of Poitevin breeders was founded,[15]: 125  but declining livestock production pushed the group to reorganize in 1937 in order to gain more support from the government, through bonuses and subsidies.[14]
: 14–16 

In the first half of the twentieth century, the mule breeding industry collapsed with the advent of mechanization.

Comtois and Breton horses, which were faster growing and higher yielding.[14]
: 18 

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.

genetic bottleneck in the mid-1900s, with the entire modern population of Poitevins tracing to one stallion, named Québec, foaled in 1960. There is a significant risk of inbreeding, leading the Unité Nationale de Sélection et de Promotion de Race to promote a plan of managed breeding in 1998.[12]: 30  At the same time, crossbreeding with Friesian and Belgian horses was suggested to increase genetic diversity using morphologically and historically similar breeds.[15]: 125  The French government distributes bonuses to the owners of the best stallions, a program more important to the Poitevin than to other draft breeds because of the significant possibility of extinction.[14]
: 23 

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,

breeders' association, the Association nationale des races mulassières du Poitou, is authorised by the French ministry of agriculture to manage the joint studbook for the Poitevin horse, the Baudet du Poitou and the Poitevin mule.[25] There is an annual breed show in Poitou.[15]
: 125 

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 head and forequarters

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

striped dun, tan-colored with black mane and tail and primitive markings; this may derive from Spanish horses in the ancestry of the Flemish horses brought to Poitou in the seventeenth century.[11]: 178  No other French draft horse displays this color.[28]

Uses

Although the Poitevin has the size and

put to jacks of the large Baudet du Poitou breed of donkey. The resulting Poitevin mules were highly regarded, and from the latter part of the nineteenth century were in demand for agricultural and other work in many parts of the world, including Russia and the United States.[4]: 271 [16]: 28  In the early twentieth century there were some 50,000 brood mares producing between 18,000 and 20,000 mules per year.[5]
: 156 

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

vegetation management: in 1994 the departmental council of Ille-et-Vilaine bought a herd for maintenance of marshlands in the area.[3]

References

  1. ^ . Archived June 23, 2020.
  2. ^ .
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ .
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ a b c Alexandre Bixio (editor) (1844). Maison rustique du XIXe siècle, volume II: "Cultures industrielles et animaux domestiques" (in French). Paris: Librairie Agricole.
  7. ^ . (subscription required).
  8. ^ Lawrence Ernest Harris (1961). The Two Netherlanders: Humphrey Bradley and Cornelis Drebbel. Leiden: E.J. Brill.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b Historique de la race Poitevin (in French). Association du Cheval Poitevin. Archived November 29, 2012.
  11. ^ .
  12. ^ .
  13. ^ a b c d Poitevin mulassier (in French). Saumur: Institut français du cheval et de l’équitation. Accessed June 2019.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ .
  16. ^ .
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ a b c d e Eugène Gayot (1860). [1] (in French). Journal d'Agriculture Pratique. 2: 67–71.
  19. .
  20. ^ Pierre Joigneaux (1863). Le livre de la ferme et des maisons de campagne (in French). Paris: Victor Masson et fils.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ [s.n.] (June 5, 2009). Les 125 ans des stud-books des races mulassières du Poitou (in French). Cheval Magazine. Archived January 28, 2021.
  23. .
  24. .
  25. ^ Association Races Mulassières Poitou (in French). Association nationale des races mulassières du Poitou.
  26. .
  27. .
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ a b Utilisation du cheval (in French). Association du Cheval Poitevin. Archived October 2, 2013.
  31. .
  32. ^ Anne-Claire Huet (September 10, 2011). Sur l'île de Ré, Rodin ramasse les déchets (in French). Aujourd'hui en France. Accessed October 2019.